


Meeting Point

by hypnoshatesme



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Eric lives AU, Fiona adopted Michael bc I'm too lazy to make an oc for that purpose and i like her, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, M/M, Mary Keay's A+ Parenting is mentioned, Mutual Pining, Other, also since i was asked no this does not have any plot just fluff, scrunchies are a love language now i guess, to lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:48:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 40,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27355255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hypnoshatesme/pseuds/hypnoshatesme
Summary: They always seem to meet again in the Institute.
Relationships: Gerard Keay/Michael Shelley
Comments: 125
Kudos: 125





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> if we stretch and twist the definition of the word "finished" beyond recognition I'd say I have 'finished' this fic, meaning I can finally start uploading it :)  
> Let's see how it goes. I'll try to make it weekly.
> 
> (Disclaimer: writing children?? idk how. I tried.)

“It’ll only be that day, I really don’t know where to leave him otherwise…”

Gertrude looked up from her folder. “You cannot bring a child into the archives, there is too much sensitive material-”

“He would stay in the break room or by my desk! Michael is quiet, he wouldn’t bother anyone.” Fiona sighed, frustrated.

Eric stopped by them, box of files still in hand. He looked from Gertrude to Fiona. “What’s the problem?”

Fiona looked at him and sighed. “Daycare is closed next monday and I ran into problems with the babysitter, so I was trying to convince Gertrude to let me bring Michael here for that day. I can’t leave him alone and I don’t have anywhere else to leave him.”

Eric put the box down on the edge of Gertrude’s desk, ignoring her disapproving look. “Oh, how is he doing? Is he managing alright?”

“Yes, he’s been very sweet.” Fiona smiled, a little sadly. “Still a little shy, but well, they tend to be like that when they’ve been through a couple families…”

“How old is he again?”

“Five.”

“Like Gerry…” He thought about it for a moment. Gertrude had gone back to work, but Eric was sure she was still listening when he said, “I could bring Gerry and they could just play together?”

She put her files down, giving Eric a warning look. “Eric…”

He looked at Gertrude, challenging. “What, Gertrude? It’s one day. If you don’t want him here you’ll have to let Fiona stay home, which, considering the utter mess this place has been in since the influx of statements a week ago, would probably not be wise.”

Gertrude was glaring at him now, but Eric had little problem holding her gaze. It was nothing compared to how Mary’s had been. 

She ended up giving a defeated sigh. “Fine. But they will be your responsibility.”

Fiona looked like she was about to start hugging them both as she looked from one to the other with a grateful smile. “Thank you so much!”

“Yes, yes, please get back to work.” Gertrude mumbled. “Both of you,” she added with a pointed look at Eric.

He shrugged and picked up the box again, bringing it to the shelf it belonged on.

*

“I don’t have to go to daycare today?”

They had been having this conversation for most of the weekend, and Gerry still sounded as disbelieving as he sounded carefully hopeful.

“No, you’re coming to work with me,” Eric answered with a quick look into the rearview mirror. Gerry looked pensive.

“Why can’t I always do that?”

“You’d get bored because dad has to work. Today, there’ll be another child there so you can keep each other company.” Eric glanced at the mirror again only to watch Gerry’s face fall. 

“I don’t like other children.” 

Eric didn’t have to look in the mirror again to know Gerry was pouting. He sighed. It wasn’t surprising to him that Gerry struggled connecting to any other children, not really. But part of Eric had really hoped Mary hadn’t had enough time to do this much damage before she died. Then again, her death itself probably hadn’t helped with the matter.

“I know, Gerry, but this is only going to be one boy, okay? That’s still better than many children, right?”

Gerry nodded reluctantly. Some days, he did play with one of the other children a little bit.

Eric flashed him a reassuring smile. “I’m sure you’ll get along fine.”

Gerry looked skeptical, but let the topic go with another nod.

*

Gerry watched the tips of the blond curls visible from behind Fiona’s leg curiously. He was still holding his father’s hand, so Gerry could only crane his neck so much to try and catch a glimpse of the other boy - Michael, Fiona had said - who had been clinging to her leg when they walked in and quickly hid behind it to cling even harder the moment he had seen Gerry and Eric. Fiona was talking to him in a soft voice, hand gently petting his head and Gerry didn’t understand. 

He understood the clinging itself. Gerry did not like when his father left him at daycare, and he would often cling to him, try to make him stay or, better, take Gerry with him again. But his father’s hand was still in his and he would be staying close to him all day, so Gerry didn’t see a reason to cling to him today. The same applied to Michael. His mother - or maybe grandmother, she looked very old to Gerry - was here and he could stay with her and so Gerry didn’t understand why he was hiding.

Eric crouched down next to Gerry, directing his kind smile towards Michael, who was now trying to take a peek at them without actually stepping out of his hiding spot.

“Michael, this is Gerry.” He let go of Gerry’s hand to ruffle his hair. “I brought him so you don’t have to be alone while we work, okay?”

Michael frowned. Gerry just stared at him, which made him retreat again.

“How about I make you two a hot chocolate? Would you like that?”

Gerry nodded enthusiastically. Michael’s nod was hesitant and he glanced up at Fiona, as if for permission.

She smiled. “That sounds good, doesn’t it, dear? Come.”

The door to the breakroom was left open as both boys sat at the table with their mugs, legs dangling under the table. Michael was clutching something in his hand that looked like a book and Gerry was trying really hard to read its title. He had learned to read other words that weren’t his or his father’s name recently and was always eager to find letters he recognised. Books had started to become interesting again after Gerry realised that they weren’t all like his mother’s and he didn’t have to pretend to understand them.

Michael was avoiding looking at him, drinking his cocoa in silence.

Eric came back a moment later. “Are you done?”

Gerry nodded, and Michael did, too, glancing up at him shyly.

“Okay, so, we’re all right outside the door, you can always come over. But for now, I’ll leave you on that comfy couch, okay?” He helped them off the chairs, pointing towards the old couch next to the door. “I brought you some paper and pens if you want to draw, if you need anything, just come and get one of us.”

Gerry gave him a disappointed look. “Why can’t I stay with you?”

“I need to work, Gerry.” He pet Gerry’s head with an apologetic smile. “I’ll play with you at lunch, okay?”

Gerry sighed. “Fine…”

They sat down on opposite ends of the couch. Gerry was still eyeing the book Michael was clutching in both hands curiously and Michael was still throwing him occasional shy glances, otherwise staring at his lap. Both Eric and Fiona had already peeked through the door to make sure they were alright multiple times. They might both say that Gerry and Michael were on the silent side, but not  _ this _ silent. 

In the end, they had decided to leave them rather than intervene. If they’d decide to just silently sit next to each other all day, that’d be fine, too.

“Do...do you want to...look?” Michael eventually asked after another long moment of fiddling with the book in his hand, very aware that Gerry seemed to still be looking at it.

Gerry, who had started to think that maybe Michael didn’t speak, was surprised at the small voice, but he nodded excitedly. Michael scooted over slowly and put the book between them. There were too many letters he didn’t recognise in the title for Gerry to read, which was disappointing, but it was still a book he didn’t know and he was curious to look at the pictures inside.

When Eric came back the next time for another cup of coffee, he was surprised at first about the lack of silence. When he looked towards the sofa, he realised Gerry and Michael were talking, both leaning over the book Eric remembered seeing in Michael’s hand. Gerry seemed to be excitedly pointing out letters he recognised, Michael nodding along with an impressed expression. Eric poured himself coffee with a smile. 

“Are you two having fun?” he asked when it became clear that they were too absorbed to even notice him.

They both looked up, Gerry’s eyes bright with excitement, Michael’s wide in what looked more like shock before he quickly averted them again. Eric felt a little bad for interrupting them. He crouched down as Gerry jumped off the sofa and grabbed a paper and pen, walking towards him with them.

Gerry came to a stop in front of him and Eric brushed his hair out of his eyes. He was due for a haircut. Gerry held out the pen and paper. “Dad, how do you write ‘Michael’?”

Eric glanced towards Michael, who was giving him a curious look. He smiled, taking the piece of paper - Gerry had already written his own name on it, though the e was facing wrong way again - and the pen and got up from his crouch to write both of their names in neat letters in one corner before giving the piece of paper back to Gerry, who quickly tried to read it.

“Only one letter is the same…” he mumbled, sounding a little disappointed, but also very fascinated.

Eric pet his head. “Well, the names do sound different, right?”

Gerry looked up at him, considering, before he nodded. “I’m going to teach Michael how to write his name.”

“I know how to write my name!” Both Eric and Gerry looked at Michael in mild surprise. His face turned bright red under the attention and he looked down at his hands that were twisting the hem of his shirt between his fingers, “I just, uhm...I forgot.”

Gerry shrugged, before walking back towards the sofa. 

Eric watched as Michael climbed down the sofa to look at the paper in Gerry’s hand, embarrassment already forgotten. Eric took his coffee and left the two sitting on the edge of the rug, paper on the floor as they went to try and replicate what Eric had written.

Fiona looked up from her desk when Eric walked back into the office. “How are they doing?” 

“Seems like the book broke the ice, they’re getting along fine.”

She gave him a relieved smile he understood too well. “I’m glad.”

“Me, too.” 

He sat back down at his desk, smiling at the faint giggling trickling in from the break room.

*

They met a couple more times, outside of the Institute. It had been something of a mutual agreement after seeing them getting along so well since they both otherwise seemed to struggle with connecting to most other children. So occasionally, Eric started to drop Gerry off at Fiona’s for a Saturday and sometimes pick Michael up. Neither of them requested those meetings, but they seemed happy enough playing with each other when they happened. 

Fiona did say Michael was in general not one to request anything, if he could help it. The only thing Gerry wanted was to spend time with Eric, though after some initial awkwardness he always seemed to quite enjoy his time with Michael, too. Eric was beyond glad to see that. The people at daycare kept making him worry about Gerry’s antisocial behaviour. But he was clearly not unable to get along with other children. It made Eric rest a little easier, and also gave him time to work through some of the paperwork that had been piling up since Mary’s death.

The door to the living room was open as always as Eric tried to get some work done. They had gotten a little quiet after lunch, but that was business as usual. He had checked up on them only minutes ago and they had been drawing. Now, Gerry was crying and Eric was already rushing to the door. The boys were already stumbling towards him, Gerry holding his hand and Michael looking shocked and concerned.

“What happened?” Eric crouched down 

Michael held out a bandaid to him. Eric smiled. “It’s okay, you can keep yours. I have bandaids, too.”

Michael looked at him with big, urgent eyes. “Uh, no! I...I asked Fiona for extra ones since...since Gerry always gets hurt.”

Eric nearly had to laugh at that. It was very true that Gerry somehow managed to hurt himself playing a lot. Rarely anything serious, but he always pushed on when something caught his interest and ended up falling or cutting himself, scraping his knees or elbows. It was still endearing that Michael found all of that concerning enough to ask for extra bandaids, especially since he apparently struggled with asking for anything usually. Eric gave him a warm smile and took the bandaid.

“Oh, alright, then. Thank you.” He ruffled Michael’s hair, making him smile a little. Eric turned to Gerry, whose crying had turned to hiccups by now. “Gerry? What happened?”

Gerry held out his hand, a small trickle of blood on his thumb. “Paper...cut me.”

“Well, Michael came prepared.” He winked at Michael with a smile, before gently wrapping the bandair around the small cut. “There. Better?”

Gerry looked at his thumb for a moment, before nodding. “Thank you.”

“Don’t just thank me, Michael supplied the bandaid.”

Gerry nodded again, looking at Michael now with a smile. “Thank you.”

Michael returned the smile, and they were already walking back to their toys before Eric could say anything else, accident forgotten. He watched them, smiling.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They meet again after some years.
> 
> (They're around 12, I think)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> decided to push the upload day to Sunday because it makes more sense and I also have no patience to wait until tomorrow because this was the idea my friend gave me right after I told them about the concept of this fic and I instantly fell in love with it and went "Well shit now I actually have to write that."

Michael watched as Fiona put down her bag on her desk. They had been over this before, but Michael was still not sure he understood. He just stood and watched, unmoving.

“So, I can just...spend the day at work with you?” Michael still sounded unsure even though they were already in the archive. 

It sounded like a strange concept to him to be allowed to stay with her during work. He was usually dropped off at somebody else's when school was closed, but things hadn’t really worked out today.

Fiona looked at him with a smile. “Well, not necessarily with me. Eric said he’d bring Gerry, his school is closed, too.”

Michael frowned. The name seemed familiar. “Gerry…”

Fiona took the jacket Michael was still holding from his hands. “Don’t you remember him? You used to play together sometimes.”

Michael considered. He remembered, vaguely, a dark blond boy teaching him how to write his name. And that same boy getting scraped up playing a lot. “Oh! Gerry!” He smiled. “That was so long ago…”

“Yes, with school it...stopped.” 

Not for the lack of trying. But they both ran into problems with school starting, and it had been difficult to maintain their playdates. Eventually, it had simply stopped. Michael had never mentioned Gerry again, but he hadn’t spoken much in those first school years in general. Fiona was glad to see he at least seemed to remember him. And also didn’t look opposed to seeing him again. 

She brushed his curls out of his forehead. Michael had decided he wanted to grow it out, but it was at a rather inconvenient length by now that had him constantly brush it away. But Fiona wasn’t one to force haircuts on him. She sighed as the curls fell right back into his eyebrows. Michael continued to refuse any kind of hairband.

She gave him a smile. “Today, you’ll see him again.”

Michael returned her smile with equal amounts of nervousness and excitement.

Michael was still a little nervous when he heard the steps approach, but most of all he was excited. He didn’t have a whole lot of memories from early childhood, and even fewer that were quite as nice. He still remembered the awe he had felt when Gerry had come back with his name on paper. Something about it had felt so special. Michael had always been too shy to ask about it himself, despite really wanting to know how to spell his own name. He cherished the memory of Gerry finally showing him.

So, even if he hadn’t really thought about Gerry in years, he felt strangely happy to see him again. He wondered if Gerry remembered him. Michael didn’t consider himself very memorable, so he tried to not get his hopes up.

The smile on Michael’s lips wavered when he saw the other boy entering the room after Eric. It wasn’t even all the black, though Michael did take a moment to reconcile it with his vague memory of dirty blond hair and...well,  _ coloured _ clothes. But it was the expression that dampened Michael’s excitement instantly, a kind of very obvious I-do-not-want-to-be-here scowl, only deepening as he took in his surroundings with disapproval. 

By the time his eyes fell on Michael, Michael had been dreading the moment, suddenly feeling very aware of his too big, fuzzy pumpkin orange sweater with fraying yellow cuffs and collar. Michael tried hard not to look away, fingers nervously pulling at the hem of his sweater. There was a short moment of recognition in Gerry’s eyes, but his expression quickly returned to the glowering look from before. Or maybe it was just the dark makeup making him look like that. Michael couldn’t quite tell.

Eric smiled at Michael. “Long time no see, Michael. How are you?”

Michael returned the smile, still a little shaken from Gerry’s presence. “Good, thank you, Mr. Delano.”

“Please call me Eric.”

Michael looked shocked for a moment, before nodding. “Okay, M- E...Eric.”

Eric nodded with another smile and put his hand on Gerry’s shoulder. “Well, I guess you two have some catching up to do. Do you still like hot chocolate, Michael?”

Michael gave a hesitant nod, eyes flickering towards Gerry, whose expression seemed to soften a little at the mention of hot chocolate.

They were sat at the same table in the breakroom with a steaming mug each. The tips of Gerry’s toes brushed the floor, though a lot of it was his boots. Michael’s feet dangled a bit off the ground, though he paid the height difference little mind right now. He didn’t really like the silence that had settled the moment Fiona had left the room, but also didn’t know how to break it. He remembered some things from their playdates as children, but nothing really seemed like the right thing to bring up. The fact that Gerry was frowning into his mug wasn’t helping. They drank in silence.

Michael was trying very hard not to stare at Gerry. It had never occured to Michael that boys could wear makeup. Now that he thought about it he didn’t really know  _ why _ that had never occurred to him. He didn’t remember Fiona saying anything about it. Maybe he should ask her later.

Michael was clearly not succeeding with not looking at Gerry because he noticed when Gerry brought his fingers to his eye, brushing a loose eyelash out of it. His black nails brushed the eyeliner, smudging it a little. 

Michael didn’t really think before saying, “You...you have something…” 

He vaguely pointed at his own eye, trying to indicate where the smudge had happened.

Gerry looked up at him, narrowing his eyes. “That’s on purpose.”

He said it in a way that made Michael think that it had definitely not been on purpose. Gerry wasn’t very discreet as he tried to fix the spot with his fingers, and Michael simply smiled his tooth-gapped smile and pulled a tissue out of his pocket, sliding it over to Gerry. Gerry gave him a suspicious look before reluctantly taking it, trying hard to not look as embarrassed as he was. Michael politely ignored the slight dusting of pink on his cheeks. 

“You look...nice,” he offered instead, earnestly, hoping that would make Gerry feel less awkward as he wiped away the smudge. Michael hated being awkward, and he didn’t want anyone else to feel like that, either.

When Gerry looked at him this time, he looked mad and Michael shrunk back, unsure if he had done something wrong. Gerry seemed to be scrutinizing him, mistrust in his eyes. Michael was unsure what he was searching for in his face, but when Gerry’s expression turned from distrust to surprise, and maybe a little bit flustered, Michael allowed himself to smile again, hesitant.

Gerry jumped off his chair. “Let’s get out of here.”

That made Michael blink in confusion. “Out...of here?”

Gerry only nodded and gave Michael an expectant look. Michael got up from his chair, too, still looking at Gerry with uncertainty. Michael watched, confused, as Gerry left through the door that wasn’t open, the one on the opposite wall to the door they had entered through. Michael threw a last look towards the one that led into the office, before following him.

Michael looked back as the door to the break room closed behind them. “Shouldn’t we tell them we’re, uh...leaving?”

Michael also wanted to ask where they were even going, but maybe it was really obvious and he just hadn’t caught on yet.

“No,” was all Gerry said, continuing his confident stride...somewhere.

“O...okay…” Michael followed close, not wanting to be left behind on his own in the confusing hallways.

Gerry seemed to eye the doors to their left and right, but kept going. 

“Where...are we going?” Michael asked after a moment, deciding that enough time had passed since the last question he posed.

Gerry just shrugged. 

Gerry started trying a couple of doors, peeking inside the rooms, sometimes snooping around for a bit before deciding it was not what he wanted and leaving again. Michael watched him all the while, debating whether he should say something about how they probably shouldn't be touching things. He didn't, chewing his bottom lip nervously as he watched Gerry instead. What was he even looking for?

Apparently, Gerry found what he was searching for in a narrow corner in one of the storage rooms. He sat down on the flood and Michael watched, uncertain, as Gerry pulled out a portable CD player, fiddling with the earbuds for a moment before finally detangling them and putting one in his ear. 

Michael felt like he should do something besides standing there, staring and pulling at the loose threads at the hem of his sweater but he didn't know what he should do, so he watched Gerry search for a song and press play in silence. Gerry looked up at him and pet the small empty space beside him. Michael hesitated for a moment before sitting down next to Gerry, who offered him the other earbud when Michael had found a comfortable way to sit. 

He gingerly took the earbud and put it in, instantly flinching at the very loud drums. It made Gerry snort and the sound surprised Michael just as much as the fact that the frown was gone and Gerry’s teeth were a little crooked and suddenly Michael felt a lot less intimidated. Gerry turned down the volume to something more bearable and then looked up to grin at Michael. His canines looked a little like fangs, and there was some lipstick on one, but Michael’s heart was suddenly beating quickly and he couldn’t really say anything, so he simply returned the grin with a dimpled one of his own, trying not to panic at his weird reaction.

Gerry leaned back against the wall and Michael followed his example, suddenly strangely aware of how their shoulders were touching. Michael tried to focus on the music instead, eyes closed as he tried to calm his heart. Gerry glanced at him from the corner of his eye, fascinated by the thick lashes fanning over his freckled cheeks. He kind of wanted to touch them. He frowned. That was strange. Gerry quickly looked away, suddenly aware that Michael might catch him staring any moment.

*

Gerry followed Eric to the car in silence. They hadn’t really gotten into trouble for leaving the break room, at least not from Eric or Fiona. Their boss, however, hadn’t liked it at all, so they had spent the rest of the day with somebody constantly checking whether they were still on that couch. It had been a little awkward, but not a big deal. Gerry knew how to entertain himself when given some paper and a pen. Michael seemed content to just watch him. He did accept the other earbud again, too, after Gerry offered it. Michael was a strange one, Gerry had decided. 

“Do you want to meet up again?”

It took Gerry a moment to understand what his father was talking about. “Why would I?”

He sounded a lot more defensive than intended. Part of him felt dread at the thought that maybe he had been caught looking at Michael’s face. His eyes just seemed to keep flickering to it.

Eric shrugged. “I don’t know, you seemed to be getting along when I finally found you.”

Gerry scowled, just to make sure his words sounded believable. “Making the best of the situation.” They walked in silence for a moment, before Gerry asked, voice a lot softer, “Does Michael know? About the books? All that shit?”

“I don’t think so.”

Gerry hadn’t expected to feel as disappointed as he did. He did try to make friends. He knew it upset his father that he struggled so much in doing so, but Gerry tried. It just wasn’t easy with the knowledge of how scary the world truly was. Gerry had never managed to forget, and, if anything, had started to go and learn more about it. If he couldn’t forget, then maybe learning more would make it easier, make the anxiety of knowing more bearable.

It hadn’t yet. Gerry struggled to properly connect to people. He just didn’t feel right, didn’t feel like he fit in. And he knew it would be the same with Michael if he tried. Today had just been one day spent in relative silence. But if they’d try to be friends, Gerry would just feel that same wrongness again, he knew.

“Thought so. So it would just be the same as with everyone else. No point,” he mumbled.

Gerry also was still confused about how much he had wanted to look at Michael’s face. But he wasn’t going to mention that.

Eric sighed and unlocked the car. It was pointless to push Gerry in a direction he didn’t want to go. “If you say so.”

*

Michael was setting the table, thoughts wandering, when Fiona’s voice came from the kitchen, “How did you like today? Was it okay?”

It took Michael a moment to catch up with the conversation. He had been rather tired after they left the Institute and the little bit he dozed in the car hadn’t really helped much. And then there was the fact that the day had left his mind a little hazy in general. It had been nice. Very nice. But it also left Michael confused and he didn’t really want to talk about that.

“Uh, y-yes!” he decided to answer, walking back into the kitchen to help Fiona with carrying the food to the table.

“If you want to meet up again-”

“No!” Michael’s eyes went wide for a moment and he gripped the pot he was carrying a little tighter. “Uh, I mean, I don’t...I don’t think so.” He carefully put the pot on the table, trying to fight the blush he could feel creeping into his face. He didn’t even know if it was from his own too quick reaction or from the prospect of seeing Gerry again. He swallowed. “He...he’s a little scary.”

Was that it? He guessed some of his reactions had been quite similar to when he was scared or intimidated by someone or something. Michael frowned. That must have been it, even if it had felt strangely...different.

Fiona considered him for a moment. “I guess that’s what he’s going for.” She sat down at the table, motioning for Michael to do the same. “But Eric said you seemed to be getting along fine?”

Now she sounded a little concerned and Michael felt bad for being unable to explain why he didn’t want to see Gerry again. He didn’t even  _ know _ if he really didn’t want to see Gerry again. But he didn’t, not until he had a grasp on whatever was going on. And also, he couldn’t really imagine Gerry wanting to hang out with him if given the choice. Today had probably been an exception. Michael was a rather boring person, he knew.

“We...we did! For...today.” He tried to sound very sure about what he was saying.

Fiona shrugged and started putting food on their plates. “Alright, dear. Do tell me if you change your mind.”

Michael nodded. He knew he wouldn’t tell her even if he did change his mind and that was okay.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last week we had gay confusion, this week I bring you: gay panic.

There was a soft knock on the door that had both Eric and Fiona look up. More out of surprise that somebody would knock in the first place than anything, really. The door was always open, so usually nobody bothered. Not that there were many people coming down to the archive in the first place. It was usually Gertrude. But that’s not who was standing in the door when they both looked up.

Michael gave them a tentative smile. “Hello, Rosie let me in?”

Eric waved at him with a smile. It had been some time since he had last seen Michael, but Fiona talked about him a lot. She hadn’t been exaggerating when she said he had gotten tall. 

Fiona looked a little confused for a moment, before realisation hit. “Oh, right, I nearly forgot about today.” Fiona squinted at her files. “I might still need a bit, dear, would you mind waiting?” She threw a glance at the clock. It was still early.

Michael quickly shook his head. “Not at all. I’m early anyways, I was afraid I’d be late.”

He hadn’t meant to walk so quickly, but he didn’t really know how to walk slowly, certainly not when there was something new happening. He was excited for the new lessons, but also anxious. It had taken him a while to get used to his old teacher. He hoped it would be easier now that he wasn’t a beginner anymore.

Eric got up and stretched himself for a moment. “Do you want something to drink, Michael? I think I need another coffee.” He looked towards Fiona’s desk. “Fiona?”

She smiled at him. “Tea for me.” Her eyes went back to Michael. “You can just stay on the couch in the break room if you want. Probably more comfortable than any chair here.”

Michael looked a little surprised at suddenly being addressed, but gave Eric a polite smile. “Uh, I’m fine, thank you.” He nodded at Fiona then. “I think I’ll just study a bit.”

Fiona sighed. “You  _ can _ take a break, Michael.”

Sometimes she wasn’t sure if that was true. Michael seemed to be physically unable to take a break from studying lately, no matter how much his therapist worked with him on that. She hoped picking up music again might help him relax a little. 

Michael’s cheeks warmed at her tone. “...I might read, then.”

Eric chuckled and motioned for him to follow him into the break room. Michael adjusted his messenger bag before following.

*

"You told me to come at six." Gerry had been in the room for less than two minutes and was already drumming his fingers on Eric’s desk. Eric ran his hands through his hair with a sigh and looked up at him.

"I'll only finish this, then we can go. It won’t take long."

Gerry sighed, clearly irritated. He didn’t like to wait.

Eric rolled his eyes at the dramatic reaction. It wasn’t like Gerry had places to be. He was only trying to get as much driving practice in as he could. Eric was fairly sure he wouldn’t have come to pick him up otherwise.

"Wait in the breakroom if you want? There's those chocolate biscuits you like in the cupboard above the coffee machine.”

He seemed to consider for a moment. Sugar still tended to be something Gerry rarely denied, Eric knew. 

“Fine,” Gerry finally mumbled, already sounding less annoyed. Eric grinned as he watched him turn around and walk towards the break room.

Gerry walked into the break room and straight to the cupboard. If he was being made to wait despite being the punctual one for once, he would at least steal some sweets. He found the biscuits and popped one in his mouth, taking another one before turning around to lean against the counter only to notice that he was, not, in fact, alone. 

Somebody was looking at him from the couch next to the door, eyes wide in surprise. There was something familiar about the figure, something about the freckled face framed by some loose blond curls that hadn’t been put into the ponytail that was holding most of the hair back.

“Gerry?” 

Gerry was momentarily distracted by the glossy lips, the gap between his front teeth. 

His eyes widened. “Michael?”

Michael nodded enthusiastically and got up from the couch, earrings dangling with every movement, tangling in the loose curls. 

“Long time no see,” he said with a dimpled smile. 

The smile still looked the same and part of Gerry thought he should have recognised him more quickly. But Michael had undeniably changed, too. It had been a good while since Gerry had last seen him, hell, since he had last  _ thought  _ of him. 

His memory of the short boy drowning in his sweater didn’t quite match up with the tall frame, still clad in a sweater, but this one his size and a pale blue with small, yellow stars around the collar, hem and sleeve cuffs, matching the golden stars dangling from his ears. But it was unmistakingly Michael, same round face, gap between his front teeth as he smiled. Same awful posture. Just a lot taller.

“Wasn’t I taller than you last time we met?” Gerry blurted out, still too distracted by how different, yet familiar he looked. 

And how  _ pretty _ . He really liked the long hair. Gerry hadn’t been aware he had a preference there until a moment ago. Or maybe it just looked really good on Michael.

Michael laughed at that. “No, you just were all boots the last time we met.” He looked down at Gerry’s feet and grinned. “Still are.”

Gerry felt his face flush and he didn’t even know why. Michael was right, of course, and maybe it was just that he seemed to be less shy now that was making things confusing. Maybe the light catching in the glitter around his eyes wasn’t helping. It looked very distracting. And pretty. Gerry looked away, hoping his hair would do something to cover the blush.

“Uh, so...how have...you been?” he decided to ask into the somewhat awkward silence, flashing Michael a smile that temporarily stunned Michael because Gerry's crooked canines made it look so cute. 

His smile had been pretty last time, too, Michael remembered that. Maybe that was a strange thing to remember. Michael felt like his face might be warming. Maybe that’s why his heart was suddenly beating a bit faster. Or had that come before? He needed to calm down.

Michael leaned against the counter next to him. He didn’t want to look Gerry in the face while blushing, that would probably only make it worse.

He shrugged, trying to sound casual as he answered, “Okay, I guess. You?”

“The same,” Gerry mumbled, nibbling at the second biscuit so he had an excuse to not look up at Michael.

It was a little awkward to talk, not being strangers but also a bit too far from being called friends after so much time. Gerry generally was trying his best not to stare too obviously, but to still take Michael in because he was nice to look at and Gerry couldn't believe he never noticed that before. Or maybe he  _ had _ , a little bit. He vaguely remembered noticing his freckles the last time or something. But this was different. At least Gerry thought it was. It  _ felt _ different, he was pretty sure. Gerry really wanted to touch those curls. They looked so soft.

Since Gerry was mostly avoiding Michael’s eyes, he didn't notice that Michael wasn't faring better than him. He had recognised Gerry more quickly than he probably should have considering how much time had passed. But the moment he walked into the room so confidently, still wearing all black though more buckles and chains had been added, his makeup a lot neater with just the right amount of smudging that took Michael’s breath away when he had turned around towards the couch. He was beautiful. 

Michael also took note of the pierced brow and lip and ears and he took very, very thorough note because his eyes kept being drawn to them and he couldn't really tell why. They looked good. They looked  _ great _ on Gerry and Michael guessed he had never given much thought on his opinion on them, but he liked them a lot. At least on Gerry. They suited him and the longer Michael spent stealing glances at his face the more he wondered if he had always been this handsome. He vaguely remembered quite liking his look at twelve, but this felt different, this felt more. Overwhelming nearly.

The conversation didn't go very smoothly, both sometimes forgetting what they were talking about, distracted by admiring the other. So when Fiona finally called for Michael since she was done, they both barely managed to contain the relief.

"I, uh…it was...nice to catch up." Michael said, and he  _ meant _ it, he did, but he was so glad he could finally escape the conversation at the same time. 

He needed to cool down. Literally, because his face felt like it was on fire from all the stuttered answers he gave in those past minutes, from all the silences he barely noticed because he was too busy looking. He hoped his whirring thoughts would calm in the car.

Gerry nodded, watching him pick up his bag from the couch, ponytail swaying with the movement. Gerry should probably stop admiring his long legs. He sounded a little distracted when he said, "Mhm, yes, see...see you around, maybe."

Michael gave him a last smile as he left the room and Gerry wasn’t sure if he remembered to return it. He needed a glass of water.

*

When Eric finally finished his follow-ups and walked into the break room, Gerry was sat at the table, apparently finishing the biscuits with a thoughtful expression. Or maybe a slightly stressed one. 

“Was that the already open one…?”

Gerry nearly jumped in his seat, feeling like he had been caught. His thoughts kept drifting back to Michael no matter how much he tried to stop that from happening, so he had just let himself indulge a bit. Now he was fighting his blush, because his father couldn’t read minds, it was  _ fine _ , he needed to not freak out or  _ that _ would be suspicious. 

It was fine. Michael just happened to be ridiculously pretty. Of course Gerry would get hung up on it. It wasn’t even the first time he’s been kind of taken aback by how attractive somebody was. 

Maybe it just felt so much weirder because it was somebody he knew from before? Maybe it was also just the realisation of liking soft curls and light colours and glossy lips and glittery eyes. Gerry hadn’t really considered any of that before. He had mostly considered people who dressed similarly to himself attractive before. His overreaction was probably just a mixture of that. This had simply been unexpected. That must be it.

Gerry had forgotten what Eric had said by the time he was done preventing himself from panicking at the situation. “Hm?”

“The biscuits,” Eric clarified, one eyebrow raised. Gerry might not be visibly blushing, but Eric could tell he was flustered. And he doubted Gerry cared enough about eating all of the biscuits for that to be the reason.

Gerry looked down at the empty biscuit packet. “No, this was the one underneath that one.”

He still sounded awfully distracted as he threw the empty packaging into the bin.

“You alright?” Eric asked, a little worried.

“Yeah, sure.” Gerry rubbed at his temple. Maybe he could play this off as a headache. “Let’s go.”

On the way to the car, Gerry found himself wondering if he maybe should have asked for Michael’s number. The very idea made him blush, however, and he decided it was probably for the better that he didn’t. It would probably have been weird in the first place.

*

Michael was silent as he settled into the car after his lesson. He often was after any kind of new experience, and Fiona let him be for a couple minutes before asking, “How did it go?”

Michael blinked a couple times, clearly struggling to gather his thoughts from wherever they had been wandering. 

It took another moment before he answered, a hint of hesitation in his voice, “F...fine.”

Michael had a difficult time focussing on his lesson. He knew that part of it was the nerves. He didn’t like playing in front of strangers and the surroundings were unfamiliar and it all put him a little on edge. 

But the biggest problem had probably been the fact that his mind kept drifting to that strand of black hair that had gotten stuck in Gerry’s lip ring at some point during their awkward conversation. Michael had a minor crisis trying to fight the urge to brush it away, but also unsure if he should point it out because he quite liked looking at it and Gerry didn’t seem to be bothered. 

Thinking back to it had put him in a state of a major crisis. He couldn’t stop thinking of Gerry’s lips once he started. It was incredibly distracting to reading sheet music. 

He could feel his cheeks warm again and pressed his face against the cool glass of the car window with a sigh. “It...it went fine.” 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A couple more years pass and they meet again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know it's a day early, but consider: time is a lie.

Gerry wasn’t really thinking about anything as he walked down the hallway to the archive. He didn’t have too much to think of, he was only there to bring his father his wallet and maybe have a word with Gertrude, and then leave again. So when his eyes caught sight of the tall blond coming through one of the doors to Gerry’s left, the name slipped before he had the time to register if it was even the right person.

“Michael?”

Gerry’s surprise only grew when the blond turned around and was, indeed, Michael. He hadn’t changed too much from the last time they had seen each other, long hair in a bun this time, the sweater a pastel green. Gerry was momentarily struck by how well he remembered Michael from last time. He even noted that there was only one dangling earring today. Well, he guessed Michael  _ had  _ left quite the impression. He smiled at the memory and Michael gave him a matching one as his eyes lit up in recognition.

“Gerry! Hi!” He fell in step beside Gerry. “Are you visiting Eric?”

There was something comforting about hearing Michael’s voice again. Yes, they still weren’t awfully close, but after running into each other so many times, there just was a certain familiarity to it. Or maybe Gerry just felt a lot less awkward than last time where he had been struggling not to gawk. Michael was still handsome, but Gerry was at least not losing his mind about it this time. Maybe his eyes still lingered a little too long, though.

“He forgot his wallet at home.” Gerry rolled his eyes, though he was smiling. “Are you here to check on Fiona?”

Michael smiled. “She retired last year.”

“Oh, right. I’m pretty sure dad mentioned that, sorry.” 

“No worries.”

Gerry looked up at him. “Then, uh...what are you doing here?”

He hoped it wasn’t rude to ask. He was just curious. The times before, it had made sense meeting Michael in the archive. But now? There also seemed to be a certain air of comfort around him as he walked down the hallway. Like he was very familiar with the place.

Michael chuckled, “I work here.”

“You work here?”

“Yes. Have been for a while.” 

Gerry frowned at him. “And you know-”

“That I can’t quit? Yes.” Michael shrugged. “Though I was only informed after signing.”

“Typical,” Gerry grumbled.

Michael just shrugged again. “What have you been up to?”

"For a couple years I was mostly on the move, hunting Leitners and such. I've moved back recently.” He grinned. “It’s easier to access the Institute’s stuff from here instead of sending my dad around for it."

Michael came to a stop next to a door. "Sorry, I have to get some things from in here. It was nice to see you."

He gave Gerry a toothy smile. The gap was still there and still cute. Gerry returned with a smile of his own.

"Yeah, same. See you around."

Michael nodded before ducking into the room.

Gerry put the wallet on Eric’s desk.

“You never told me Michael works here now.”

Eric looked up from what he was reading, confused. “Hello to you, too. I’m pretty sure I did, you just didn’t listen.”

Gerry frowned. “Poor guy…”

"He seems pretty satisfied." 

Eric watched him for a moment. Gerry hadn’t mentioned Michael in years and neither had he reacted much to whenever Eric mentioned him. So it was a little surprising seeing his disapproving look now. Though he guessed it might just be Gerry’s general disdain for the Institute that was making him pull such a face about seeing Michael dragged into it. 

“If you want to talk to Gertrude, I think she’s in her office.”

Gerry nodded absentmindedly, making his way to the archivist’s office.

*

Gerry was back in the archives only days later and this time, he saw Michael when he walked into the office. Michael saw him, too, looking up from his cluttered desk at the sound of the steps. Gerry hadn’t really noticed the desk the last time he had been here and he vaguely wondered how Michael even managed to work with all the knick-knacks strewn about it.

Michael smiled, “Back already? Did Eric forget something again?”

Gerry shook his head. “No, I’m here to talk to Gertrude.”

“Oh, I think she isn’t in right now.”

“That’s fine, I have time.”

Michael looked at him for a moment. “Do you want something to drink while you wait?”

Gerry considered, then grinned. “Hm...do they still have that hot chocolate they used to years ago?”

“They do!” Michael grinned, too, and got up from his desk. “I’ll make us some, I wanted to take a break myself.”

Gerry followed him into the break room, that somehow still looked the same. He watched Michael making the hot chocolate. His sweater was striped today, light yellow and grey, a matching grey skirt to his ankles. Gerry wasn’t overly fond of light colours and he didn’t understand how Michael made them look so good. Gerry should probably stop staring at him. 

“So, do you like working here?” Gerry asked, genuinely curious. 

“Yes. I mean...I don’t know,” Michael shrugged. “It...never even occurred to me to try somewhere else, to be honest.” 

Gerry frowned. “And now you can’t.”

“I’ll deal with it, it’s okay.” He gave Gerry a smile and pushed one of the mugs of hot chocolate towards him. “What about you? You are...somewhat working for the Institute, aren’t you?”

“Yes, sort of. But I refuse to sign a contract. It’s already enough that I keep ending up here despite not having to.” He gave an exaggerated sigh, taking a sip from the mug Michael had put next to him on the counter. It was still too hot, but Gerry wasn’t awfully bothered by it.

Michael watched the eyes on Gerry’s knuckles shift as his hand closed around the mug. They were so small, and yet obviously eyes. Michael had noticed the ones on Gerry’s elbows and his wrist, too. He wondered how many there were. And where. 

He shook his head. He was getting distracted from the conversation. “Do you...get paid?”

Gerry shook his head. “Not exactly. Well...it depends, I guess. But I do some stuff on the side, been working okay for me.”

“Oh, okay. You sound...busy.” Michael sounded worried.

Gerry shrugged, and grinned. “I deal with it.”

Michael chuckled and brought his own mug to his lips.

*

Michael, when he didn’t go over to visit, always made a point of at least calling Fiona on the weekend. It was a habit he kept from college. It had always helped him process the week and properly relax at its end. Keeping it up even after he had started to work had come naturally.

“Oh! And I saw Gerry again. He was back at the Institute on Friday.” Michael tried to not sound unreasonably excited as he spoke into the phone, but he simply had to tell Fiona. 

He had texted her about the first run-in at the beginning of the week, simply because he had been so surprised about seeing Gerry again he felt like he had to tell someone. And while he had mentioned his run-ins with Gerry to some of his friends in joke, Fiona was probably still the one that would get Michael’s surprise the best.

“He really is back for good, huh. You’re getting along fine?”

Michael bit the inside of his cheek. He was unsure how much he could judge from the two conversations. Maybe he was just overthinking, though.

“I think so. I mean...we talked a bit.” He hesitated, before adding, “It’s a little...strange, I think. Not...necessarily awkward, but...just the fact that we...know each other. But we also don’t? It’s a little weird.”

Fiona chuckled. “I’m sure that will settle as you chat more, don’t worry. You should bring him over one day when you visit, I’d like to see him again. Did he change?”

Michael was so glad she couldn’t see him blush through the phone. “Uhm, no, he...I mean, he has tattoos now. And looks, uh…” Michael struggled for words, and also to actually remember what he had meant to say when he started that sentence. 

Gerry was still handsome, maybe more so. But he didn’t want to say that, that seemed like a weird thing to say. He had watched Gerry help Eric with some boxes after Michael had to get back to work and Gertrude was still not back from her appointment. Michael couldn’t stop thinking of his arms since. That would also be a weird thing to say. Michael was clearly too distracted to keep this conversation going. 

“Stronger?” he tried, and it hadn’t meant to be a question, nor was his voice supposed to go a little higher, but it had and now he was blushing furiously.

There was a moment of silence on the other end, before Fiona said, “That’s...good to hear.” Michael could hear her smile. “Well, say hello from me. And as I said, he’s always welcome, should he ever want to stop by.”

Michael nodded. “I...I’ll let him know. Bye.”

“Goodbye, dear.”

Michael held on to his phone for a moment after the call was ended, hoping it would help him calm down. Maybe help his mind to stop lingering on Gerry’s arms. How much he would like to have them wrapped around him.

It didn’t work.

*

Gerry’s presence in the archive became a common thing. He would often pop in to talk to Gertrude about whatever they were working on, or would come back from running errands for her. Gerry quite enjoyed lingering, chatting with Michael or doing his best to annoy Eric, who generally retaliated by sending him on errands of his own. Mostly to get them lunch. Gerry always complained, but he didn’t really mind. It was nice to see they were at least eating when he was around to get the food.

Eric looked up from his desk when he heard the familiar steps approach.

“I was about to call and ask if you got lost-” He laughed as his eyes fell on Gerry's drenched figure. “Oh. Nevermind.”

“Yeah, if you want your food extra soggy, you should add that to the order next time.” He walked straight into the breakroom where he put the bag he had somehow managed to keep more or less dry on the table. Michael and Eric both followed swiftly, neither wanting to wait any longer to eat.

“You should maybe dry off a bit.” Michael mumbled as he looked at Gerry’s dripping hair, a mixture of concern and...no, Michael was simply worried about him catching a cold. He wasn’t blushing.

He definitely wasn’t thinking about how Gerry’s shirt was sticking to his chest. Sometimes Michael felt like he was seventeen again and just overwhelmed with how good Gerry looked. The tattoos had done very little to change that. In fact, they probably made it worse. His eyes kept being drawn to those eyes.

Gerry had accepted a kitchen towel from Eric, turning his back to Michael. He was drying his hair with it, and Michael tried very hard to not notice the row of eyes disappearing under the collar of his shirt, to not think about where else there might be eyes on Gerry’s body. 

He had noticed them before, when Gerry had put up his hair. Michael remembered the first time he had caught sight of him in a ponytail, the urge Michael had felt to run his fingers through the shaved hair at the back of Gerry’s head. And then he saw the row of eyes starting at the back of his neck and Michael forgot about the undercut and wondered how far they went. He had never stopped wondering. And now he was wondering a bit more intensely again as he watched wet strands of black hair stick to the back of Gerry’s neck, obscuring the tattoos, but not fully. Michael could still see a suggestion of them.

“Michael?”

Michael blinked. Eric was looking at him with a raised eyebrow and Michael desperately hoped the knowing glint in his eyes was imagination. He tried not to think about it. He would definitely blush if he did.

“Uh, yes?”

“I asked if you plan to wait for your food to get cold?”

“Uh, of course not!” 

Gerry’s laughter as Michael finally started eating did very little to calm his heart. Especially not since it gave Michael a peek at his crooked teeth. They had no right to look this cute.

Eric had to get a call, so it was left to Gerry and Michael to clean up after lunch. Or mostly Gerry because Michael kept chuckling at his phone. Gerry didn’t mind, it was a very nice little chuckle, and he would love to hear more, but he  _ was _ getting curious about what exactly was making Michael snicker like that.

“What’s so funny?” Gerry realised that that might be a rude question to ask, so he quickly added, “If...you don’t mind me asking.”

He was probably being nosy, he knew. He was just really curious what made Michael laugh like this.

Michael looked up from the screen and brushed a loose curl behind his ear. “I’m sorry, Fiona just sent me some pictures of her cat.” Michael gave him an apologetic smile. “I’ll help you right awa-”

“Oh, no, I don’t mind.” Gerry shook his head. “I’m just nosy.” He nodded at the phone. “Can I see?”

Michael looked a little surprised, but nodded. “Sure!” He walked over to Gerry and showed him his screen. It showed a picture of a tuxedo cat absolutely transfixed by something to the left that wasn’t in the picture. “Here. His name’s Mittens.”

Gerry smiled as Michael swiped and showed more and more pictures of the same cat. “You have a picture of him on your desk, don’t you?”

Michael gave him a brilliant smile, “I have! It’s old. Fiona sent it to me after she got him. I was at college.”

Gerry took a moment to recover from the excited glint in Michael’s eyes. Pretty. 

“I’ve...been wanting to ask if that’s your cat...He’s really cute.”

Michael was still smiling at his phone. “Well, I see him when I visit.” He stopped for a moment, eyes going a little wide. “Which actually reminds me! I told Fiona you’re back and she said you should stop by, she’d like to see you. I forgot to tell you.”

Gerry knit his brows in confusion. “See me?”

Gerry barely remembered Fiona, so the prospect of her wanting to see him struck him as a little strange.

Michael shrugged. “I don’t know. She probably just wants an excuse to bake more.”

“Well, uh...doesn’t sound too bad? Maybe one day…” Gerry ran a hand through his hair awkwardly, unsure what the right response would be. It felt rude to turn the invitation down, but he was unsure if he felt comfortable with visiting what was basically a stranger to him just like that.

Michael noticed his discomfort and gave him a reassuring smile. “Don’t stress yourself about it.” He looked back at his phone. “We could...also send her a picture, that would probably count as ‘seeing you’?”

Michael frowned, unsure if that was a weird suggestion. His chat with Fiona was generally mostly them sending each other pictures, so to him it made sense. But it might sound strange to Gerry? Michael looked back at him, about to tell him to forget about that, when Gerry gave a nod.

“Sure, why not?”

Michael blinked at him, surprised but Gerry just shrugged and grinned. Michael quickly looked away to avoid any noticeable blushing and opened the camera on his phone. 

Gerry didn’t like the idea of using the front camera, so it took a lot of fiddling and a couple tries and the result was still shaky.

“Sorry, can you just tilt that a bit to the righ- that’s left.”

Michael sighed, and held out the phone to Gerry. “I’m...not good with directions, do you want to take it?”

Gerry nodded. “Yeah, sure.”

He took Michael’s phone and, to Michael’s surprise, managed to take a decent photo at the second try. Michael added ‘You wanted to see Gerry :)’ before hitting send and then looked at Gerry, impressed.

“You could have told me you’re an expert at taking pictures with phones and we could have skipped all the struggling.”

Gerry bit his tongue, because the first comeback that came to him involved him calling Michael cute. Because he  _ was _ , he had been incredibly cute as he tried to follow Gerry’s instructions and get an okay picture. But that probably wasn’t appropriate to just say out of the blue.

“I, uh...didn’t want to...make you give me your phone. That’d be rude.” He shrugged, trying to ignore the fact that his heart was still beating quickly from one of Michael’s curls brushing his face during one of their attempts.

Michael smiled and locked his phone. The time on the screen made him bite his lip. “It’s not rude! But, ah, I do need to get back to work now.” He looked at Gerry apologetically. “I’m sorry, you can leave the rest and I’ll clean it up later.”

Gerry shook his head and laughed. “Nonsense. Nearly done anyways, you go back to work, don’t worry.”

Michael couldn’t really focus on how he wasn’t entirely comfortable with the suggestion. Gerry’s laugh was an incredibly distracting and beautiful thing. He still looked like he had fangs when he laughed and Michael was definitely starting to feel his cheeks warm.

“I...okay,” he mumbled, before rushing out of the room.

*

Despite the fact that Michael sometimes had trouble keeping himself from staring too obviously or just in general keeping his heart from skipping a beat when Gerry smiled at him, he loved having him around. It had been a little awkward in the beginning, of course, but it wasn’t like Gerry had been a complete stranger, making it a lot easier to get comfortable. He had a way about him that made Michael feel...better. Not about something specific, but more of a general feeling. 

He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. Sometimes, Michael worried he’d get too comfortable and end up coming off as annoying. But somehow, it was difficult to not feel like he could be himself around Gerry when he laughed at his tentative jokes and encouraged Michael to go on with whatever he was talking about whenever Michael stopped, too aware that he was probably rambling. 

Michael simply tried to brush off the warm feeling in his chest during those instances. He didn’t want to make this weird.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> somebody help them, they're yearning.

When Gertrude was busy and Gerry needed any files or something, Michael was always eager to help. Eric certainly didn’t mind letting him, because the nonsensical organisation system in this place still made him reconsider life choices. Also, it was nice to see Gerry had found a friend in Michael. Eric could probably count the ‘friends’ Gerry had made over his lifetime on one hand, and he knew half of them had been an attempt to soothe Eric’s worries about how, no matter how much they tried, Gerry didn’t seem to feel right or comfortable on the ignorant side of the world. 

Eric could relate, of course, it felt strange sometimes to talk to neighbours or old acquaintances that didn’t know about any of the Fears. But he had hoped he could protect Gerry from the worst of it, at least. The fact that it hadn’t worked was disappointing, of course, but Eric was still proud Gerry had found his own way to deal with everything. 

Still, the worry about him living so isolated from his peers never left Eric. He guessed it made sense that, in the end, it would be somebody already knowledgeable about the Fears and all that Gerry would connect with. It might not be what Eric had hoped for, but Gerry looked happy and Eric was glad to see that.

*

Gerry was watching Michael search for a specific file he needed. He was wearing a fuzzy, light brown sweater that made Gerry itch to reach out to touch, hair in a low ponytail and Gerry wondered, not for the first time, how many vaguely pastel coloured and patterned scrunchies Michael owned. 

He hadn’t seen one repeated yet, and they always seemed to somewhat match the outfit. Sometimes Gerry wanted to ask, but he didn’t want to come off as somebody who was just excessively staring at Michael and taking note of his rosy cheeks and glossy lips and soft eyeshadow, and the occasional hair clip keeping his hair out of his eyes, and the way he scrunched up his nose when a curl still escaped and the way his light blue nails looked so nice against his skin when he brushed it away-- 

Gerry needed to get a grip. Michael was still with his back to him, but Gerry was undeniably gawking, even if he had been spacing out doing so. He could feel his face heating up and he needed to stop it before it became too noticeable. 

“So...you say you like working here, but what about Gertrude?” The question came out a little too quickly to really sound casual, but Gerry simply hoped Michael wouldn’t notice.

Michael turned around after a moment, giving him a curious look. “What about Gertrude?”

Gerry relaxed. Apparently his thoughts weren’t obvious in his tone or face. His lips pulled into a small grin. “She’s a pain in the ass to work with.”

“Gerry!”

Michael’s scandalized tone made Gerry laugh. He was fairly sure Michael wouldn’t admit he agreed even if they’d be nowhere close to the Institute or Gertrude. He was just too polite for that.

"Oh come on, she gives you a mountain of paperwork each day! And generally with very little instructions, you literally complained about that to me last week."

Gerry couldn’t quite control his own smile at Michael’s blushing cheeks, and he just hoped it didn’t look as fond as it felt.

"I mean somebody has to do that!” Michael turned around again, but only to get the box of files he had been going through down and put it on the desk Gerry was leaning against. He gave him a tentative grin. “So you can do...whatever you do."

There was curiosity in his voice and Gerry raised his eyebrows. "You don't know?"

"She never really took me on...field trips.” Michael shrugged. “Eric sometimes, though he's not a fan, as far as I can tell. And I've been on business trips where I take care of paperwork...somewhere else. But I don't really know what you do. I mean I do but uh...I don't." He gave an awkward chuckle. “If that makes sense.”

Gerry chuckled. "It's mostly acquiring stuff and bringing it here. Sometimes also just helping with the follow ups like you do. Destroying Leitners."

"That sounds...exciting." 

Gerry nearly had to smile at how genuine he sounded.

"It's not. Though I guess compared to this…" Gerry pointed at the box. "You should ask her to do something else once in a while."

Michael tilted his head to the side, pensive, and his earring brushed his shoulder and Gerry tried not to think about how much he wished to do the same. 

He had lost track of what they were talking about by the time Michael said, "Hm...maybe I should."

*

The next day Gerry didn’t come in the morning. It wasn’t necessarily uncommon, he’d often only come around lunch or so, but Michael still found himself wishing for his presence. It was a slow day. Gerry always seemed to know how to make boring days better. Michael sighed as he found himself rearranging his pens on his desk for the third time.

When Michael did finally hear the familiar steps coming down the hall, the smile made its way onto his face without him realising. He looked up when Gerry walked through the door, and forgot that he had been incredibly bored a moment ago. That happened often when Gerry walked in with a grin on his face and hair slightly disheveled from the wind. 

“Want to join me getting rid of this?” Gerry took a book out of his coat.

Michael looked at it, surprised. “A Leitner?”

“To burn before Gertrude finds out I brought it here.”

Michael’s eyes lit up at that, an excited grin on his lips as he got up from his chair. Gerry couldn’t tell what stunned him more. He had been joking, mostly, and had expected Michael to maybe agree out of curiosity or something. He had  _ not _ expected him to be this excited about burning a Leitner. Gerry’s heart was doing some strange things and he didn’t know what to say because Michael was radiant and Gerry knew he was  _ staring _ . 

He settled for a slightly dazed nod, quickly walking ahead in order to hide the blush creeping up his neck. He heard Michael’s steps behind him and apparently Gerry’s heart was still not done with its little dance.

They went outside to the spot Gerry usually burned the books - he had stopped bothering bringing the bin back inside - and he felt Michael’s eyes on him as he got out his lighter. When he looked into his face the question Michael wouldn’t ask was blatant on his features, eyes barely managing to rip away from the lighter. Gerry held it out to Michael with a smile that was probably far too obviously endeared, and maybe too many other things, but Gerry was still having trouble processing what looking at Michael like this made him feel so he didn’t know how to control whatever was showing in his smile. 

The delighted grin on Michael’s face as he took the lighter was nearly enough for Gerry to miss the briefest touch of their fingers. As it was, it just meant that he had to somehow deal with both things at the same time. If the heat he was feeling creeping up his neck was anything to go by, Gerry assumed he wasn’t doing a very good job at dealing with anything in that moment. He wanted to reach out and touch Michael’s hand properly. He tightened his grip around the book instead, nodding for Michael to burn it.

Michael’s hand was shaking when he lit the lighter, but one glance at his face made it clear that it was excitement, not fear. Gerry swallowed, glad Michael was staring at the book so intensely that he wouldn’t see Gerry’s growing blush. The pages took easily and Michael looked positively gleeful as the flames spread. 

Gerry put it in the bin, careful not to burn himself, but also taking longer than he should because he was trying to somehow calm his blush before facing Michael again. He didn’t even know why this was getting to him so much. It wasn’t the first time Michael got excited about something while Gerry was around. But maybe it had never been quite like this before. And Gerry certainly hadn’t expected burning a book to get such a reaction from Michael.

They watched the book burn together, though Gerry’s eyes kept being drawn towards Michael’s face, still all delight and glee and awe as he watched the book crumble. He wanted to frame that expression. Gerry’s mouth felt dry and the silence was letting his mind wander and he needed to stop it.

“You, uh...you like fire?” It sounded like a silly question the moment it left his lips, but Gerry didn’t really care. His brain really wasn’t functioning.

“Hm?” Michael took a moment to snap out of his wonder. “Oh, well...it’s pretty.”

“Mhm…” 

There was an urge at the forefront of Gerry’s mind to say 'like you' and he swallowed it. But god if that wasn’t  _ true _ . Michael was so fucking pretty, always, but especially right now, eyes all alright and expression one of excitement, and Gerry didn’t want to look away.

Gerry needed to get a grip. His heart really needed to stop trying to beat out of his chest.

*

“I swear she heard me that other day, this can only be punishment,” Gerry grumbled, as he kept sorting through the box of files he’d been trying to sort for over half an hour now. 

There was no rhyme or reason to the files in it and some were missing pages he had to go and search in one of the other boxes and Gerry was going insane.

Michael, who had already been doing the exact same thing when Gerry arrived, chuckled, “You’re being so dramatic, Ger.”

Gerry looked up from his box, blowing a strand of hair out of his face for the tenth time, “Ger?”

Michael froze for a moment. “Uh, I...well...like a nickname?”

Gerry laughed. “You do realise Gerry is already a nickname?”

“Well, I actually only realised that when I heard Gertrude call you Gerard.” Michael’s cheeks were heating up and he was fidgeting with the file in his hands. Gerry’s laugh was such a nice sound, it always threw him off-balance. “I...I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-”

“No, no!” Gerry chuckled and, again, brushed some hair out of his face. Today had been a bad day to forget his hair tie. “I didn’t mean it like that. I...it’s...nice.”

Gerry didn’t like the silence that followed, it made him too aware of the fact that he could feel his ears heat up at that sentence. Did that sound weird? Maybe it did. But it  _ was _ nice. Gerry had never had anyone but his father give him a nickname before. It made him feel pleasantly warm. 

Michael was biting his lip, a nervous tick that was incredibly distracting to Gerry, whose eyes were already drawn to those lips plenty without teeth making it so painfully obvious that they were probably just as soft as they looked. 

“You sure? If you’d rather I call you Gerry-”

“No, I- I mean, Gerry’s fine, of course, but, uh...Ger...Ger’s okay, really.”

Michael smiled, clearly relieved. “Okay. If you want me to stop, just tell me.”

Gerry nodded, then sighed in frustration as his hair fell back into his eyes. Michael took the baby blue scrunchie around his wrist off and handed it to Gerry. Gerry looked at the little pink hearts on the blue in confusion.

“For your hair. You’re starting to sound like you might be considering ripping it out.”

“Oh! Oh, uh...thank you.” Gerry quickly took the scrunchie, cheeks burning.

He tried to subtly turn his face away, hoping Michael wouldn’t interpret it as rude. He really just wanted to calm his blush before looking back at him.

Michael watched, transfixed, as Gerry put his hair up with nimble hands, somehow managing to look incredibly graceful even when accomplishing such a simple task. Michael struggled to drag his eyes away from them when they fell back to Gerry’s side, but the baby blue scrunchie in midst of raven hair was also drawing his eye. It looked  _ strange _ . 

Michael had never seen Gerry in anything but the darkest shade of whatever colour, and usually he went with black. Seeing something so light on him was fascinating and, when Gerry turned his face towards him, strikingly cute. His cheeks were still dusted a light pink, though Michael couldn’t tell what from, but Gerry’s blush already looked incredible in contrast to the dark strands usually framing his beautiful face. But somehow, the little splotch of baby blue and pink was making it even  _ better  _ and Michael did not think anyone could ever look as utterly adorable as Gerry in that moment, frowning at the file in front of him in disapproval, ponytail swaying slightly as he kept fidgeting. 

Michael was gaping, he knew, and he quickly closed his mouth, though it did not do anything to keep his face from burning or his heart from beating incredibly fast. He probably would have to look away for that. Michael did not want to look away from Gerry’s profile like this, never wanted to tear his eyes from his cute, slightly annoyed expression - he was starting to play with his lip ring again, which was incredibly distracting to watch and made Michael wonder how it would feel to kiss him and-- oh, no. No. 

Michael quickly looked away, back at his own files, heart in his throat. He shouldn’t be thinking about  _ kissing _ Gerry. He really shouldn’t. They were friends. Kissing would make things weird, probably. Maybe? Michael had to stop thinking about kissing Gerry, he really did, but now that he started he seemed unable to. 

He got up from his chair, nearly stumbling over his own feet. Gerry looked up at him, surprised, but Michael tried very hard to not notice how good he looked in that moment and mumbled some excuse before fleeing the room. Gerry watched him go, slightly concerned. He considered, for a moment, whether he should go after him. He ended up deciding against it and went back to work with a sigh.

Michael came back a couple minutes later with tea for both. The familiar motions of making it had calmed him down a little, but he was still stunned by Gerry’s worried look when he walked back into the room. It also made him feel guilty. He didn’t want to worry him. He just had to get his thoughts sorted out.

“Sorry, I...just needed a moment,” he mumbled, sitting back down and avoiding Gerry’s eyes.

Gerry watched him for a moment. He really didn’t like seeing Michael like this at all. But it didn’t seem to be a topic he should press, so he nodded and went back to work.

*

Gerry found Michael back at his desk the next day. His father’s desk was empty and Michael seemed to be quite absorbed into whatever he was typing. He always pursed his lips slightly when focused and Gerry probably really shouldn’t know that.

He cleared his throat before his thoughts wandered any further. “Hey.”

Michael jumped. He looked up in shock, then blushed slightly as he realised it was Gerry. 

“Oh, uh. Good morning. You...are here early today.”

Gerry nodded, trying not to think too hard about how he probably felt unreasonably happy hearing that voice again considering only one day had passed since he had last heard it.

“I forgot to give you the hair tie back yesterday,” he said instead, pulling the scrunchie off his wrist and holding it out to Michael.

Michael blinked at it. “Oh, you can keep that if you want? I...I can just make a new one.”

Gerry gave him a surprised look. “You make them?”

Michael nodded. “I lose normal hair ties very easily...these not so much.”

“That...makes sense. I never thought about that.” He looked back at the scrunchie in his hand, trying to imagine Michael sitting somewhere, probably his sofa, sewing it. The image made Gerry’s heart ache and he really didn’t know what to do with that.

Michael watched Gerry’s conflicted expression as he looked at the scrunchie in his hand. Maybe he didn’t want it but felt too awkward to turn it down? Michael didn’t want him to feel awkward.

“Uh, if you don’t want it...well, I guess it doesn’t really go with your aesthetic, I can take it back?”

Gerry wondered how long he had been silently just staring at the hair tie and then he cut himself off because the tips of his ears were starting to feel warm.

“No, it’s...it’s fine, I can still use it at home or...or here.” 

He put the scrunchie around his wrist again, maybe a little too quickly. He didn’t want to give it back now, didn’t want to lose it. At the same time, he tried to stop himself from getting too caught up in thinking that, basically, Michael had just given him a gift. He should probably freak out about that somewhere else. He had work to do anyway.

“I’ll...stop by later, I have some things to do.”

“Alright, see you then.” Michael gave him a smile and Gerry returned it, and he really didn’t want to go, but he forced himself to turn around and leave.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The yearning continues and Eric tries to help.

Things became a little awkward between them. It wasn’t  _ too _ bad, really, but Michael was starting to panic. Had he somehow managed to destroy their friendship without even doing anything? By just thinking? And he kept  _ thinking _ . 

“Michael?”

Michael took a moment to snap out of his reverie and realise Fiona was holding out the plate with the biscuits to him. “Oh, sorry, I was just...uh…thinking.”

He took a biscuit before sitting back again. The cat was still purring next to him and Michael ran his fingers through his fur absentmindedly.

Fiona watched him with concern. “You seem quite distracted lately, is everything alright?”

Michael gave her a reassuring smile, but his eyes still seemed distant. “Yes, yes, uh...everything is fine.”

Fiona didn't believe him, but she didn't want to push. At least not directly. She had a suspicion as to what was going on. “How are things going at work? Have you seen Gerry again?”

Michael froze, just for a moment, but it was enough for Fiona, who had a lot of practice picking up on Michael’s body language. She had been wondering about his initial excitement mellowing into something that seemed like a deliberate avoidance of the topic. She politely ignored the beginning of the flush on Michael’s cheeks, holding out the plates with a patient smile instead.

Michael took another biscuit just to do something with his hand and also have an excuse to take even longer to answer as he started nibbling on it, trying to calm his quickened heartbeat. Gerry wasn’t even  _ near _ . Michael shouldn’t be losing it just at the  _ thought _ of him. What had Fiona even asked? Right.

“He, uh...he’s around. A lot. We...we talk. Sometimes Gertrude makes us work together. It...it’s fine.” Michael took another biscuit because he was fairly sure he was blushing by now and he didn’t want to deal with that.

Fiona nodded. “That’s good to hear. I’m glad you get along.”

Michael nodded, but decided to not add anything else. It would only make his thoughts wander again.

*

Gerry wasn’t faring much better. He felt like he might say or do something stupid during one of the many, many times he found himself just spacing out looking at Michael, thinking of him. Gerry seemed to be unable to think of something else for very long lately. It was difficult to focus on work. It became even more difficult when Gertrude did send them out together after Michael insisted.

It went  _ fine _ , really, they drew some eyes when walking into the shop where the leads had lead them to. A bookshop ducked into some dark corner. Leitners seemed to often end up in such places. The nervous shop owner - and, if their sources were correct, the one who had the Leitner, too - seemed reassured when he spotted Michael next to Gerry. Confused at first, looking from one to the other, but also calmed. Gerry still handled most of the talking, and the guy seemed to lose a bit of the edge as he realised Gerry wasn’t there for trouble, even if he looked it. 

But he seemed to be a lot more at ease with looking at Michael, which made Gerry aware of the fact that he, too, would much rather be looking at Michael than at this guy. It was definitely going to become a problem if he didn’t somehow figure out a solution to this. 

But, realistically, what could he do? He watched Michael burn the book with his joyful expression and his heart tried to beat out of his chest again. And the thing was, Gerry knew he should want this to stop but he didn’t really want to. Well, maybe the stress of potentially damaging their friendship he wouldn’t miss. But he liked the warm feeling in his chest whenever Michael directed his tooth-gapped smile at him.

It wasn’t like Michael gave him any reason to stop feeling like that, either. Even though he seemed to be a little more shy again, he always went out of his way to ask if Gerry needed anything and he still laughed at Gerry’s stupid jokes so beautifully and Gerry just couldn’t help that sound always taking his breath away for a moment. Michael was attentive in a way Gerry wasn’t used to, but he  _ liked _ it, he liked it a lot.

It seemed to come naturally to him to ask how Gerry was doing, or how he had slept, to bring him a cup of tea whenever he got one for himself, and Gerry wasn’t used to it. Well, he was, somewhat, from his dad. But that was something else. Family did such things. Friends probably did, too, but Gerry didn’t have too much experience with those. He had some hazy memories, yes, but nothing that had ever made him feel like this. Warm. 

Gerry found himself looking at the scrunchie Michael had given him far too much when he was at home, where it lay on his bedside table since the day he brought it with him. It felt like he missed Michael in those instances, even if he had just come back from the Institute. 

It took Gerry a while to realise that what he felt like he was missing was holding him close.

*

Sometimes talking to Gertrude didn’t help clearing up Gerry’s questions at all and he just ended up leaving her office in an even worse mood than what he had entered it with. Maybe the fact that he had gotten up extra early to definitely catch her before she got ‘too busy’ again hadn’t helped the case today. Gerry wanted a nap.

“Ger, I have something for you!”

Gerry looked up, a little confused. He had been in the archive before Michael today, but of course the conversation had dragged on and Michael was at his desk now. Or rather, standing next to it with that half excited, half nervous expression he seemed to wear a lot. And a sheepish smile that instantly made Gerry’s mouth pull into a smile, too.

“Oh?”

Michael nodded excitedly. “Yes, Monday you were blowing your hair out of your face again while helping Eric, so,” he opened his hand, holding it out towards Gerry, a black scrunchie resting on his palm. “I made you one that should go with your aesthetic.”

“Oh….” Gerry didn’t even know what to  _ say _ . 

The last time Michael had given him one he had happened to have it on him. It was still a gift, and it had still made Gerry feel...something, but this time Michael had specifically gone out of his way to make one Gerry could wear regularly and Gerry  _ didn’t know what to say _ . He knew he should say  _ something _ because he was just staring at the scrunchie and his heart was beating too fast again and the silence was kind of awkward. 

“Th...Thank you so much,” his voice sounded way too soft but Gerry couldn’t help it.

The smile he gave Michael made Michael’s heart skip a beat and the suggestion of a blush on his cheeks was definitely very visible now but it wasn’t like he could do much about it. Not when Gerry’s smile was so awed as he took the scrunchie, not when he mumbled another soft ‘thank you’ in his lovely voice.

Eric watched them from his desk as they stood in some kind of awkward awe of each other and wondered if he should say something to break up their strange moment or just wait and see if they’d figure it out themselves. He decided to let them be, going back to work with a sigh.

*

Michael was starting to think about that smile even when Gerry wasn’t anywhere near and it was so distracting. His mental image was never quite right, never as breathtaking as when he heard the heavy steps and looked up to see Gerry’s wonderful grin, crooked canines looking so much like little fangs it made Michael melt on the spot every time. Michael was starting to spend a lot of time at work sighing wistfully. 

Eric was starting to stop finding it funny, because at home it was Gerry who kept sighing like that and it was all getting a little ridiculous, in his opinion.

He wasn’t the only one. Gertrude was getting annoyed by how distracted they both were. And also just really tired of walking into the break room only to find them both awkwardly standing there after another instance of nearly brushing hands passing one mug to the other. 

Michael still couldn’t believe that they used to touch so casually, that he just sat next to Gerry in that tight corner of the storage room all those years ago and it didn’t make his head explode. Now he could barely think about standing too close because Gerry smelled really nice and Michael wondered how it would be to bury his nose in his hair and touch his cheek and kiss his face and Michael really couldn’t stop thinking about kissing him. 

They were just staring at each other at this point, neither knowing how to follow up the hushed apologies at nearly spilling tea while the mug passed their hands. Again. 

“Didn’t I give you both something to do?” Gertrude said when she walked in on the now familiar scene.

They both jumped and Gerry quickly hid his blush behind his hair, holding the mug a little tighter, “Yes, right, I’ll...I’ll have to get back to work.”

Michael watched him go with a small, frustrated sigh before leaving the room himself, nearly running into Eric at the door, who watched his sad steps as he walked back to his desk. He looked up to see Gertrude’s disapproving gaze in his direction and raised an eyebrow in question.

"This is getting unbearable."

Eric went to pour himself a coffee. "You say that like it's my fault."

"You could talk to him."

He turned around to face her. "Gerry? He's been avoiding talking about Michael at all cost.” Eric grinned. “Since I don't think he's been thinking about much else we've been mostly talking about the weather."

Gertrude drew her eyebrows together. "Try Michael then."

"I'm not sure if it's my place to do that."

"You are friends, aren't you?"

Eric considered for a moment as he stirred sugar into his coffee. "I mean, yes, but I'm unsure if we're so close I should give him relationship advice."

"You are probably not the person to give relationship advice in general."

Gertrude’s tone was as neutral as ever, but Eric had worked with her long enough to know she was teasing. 

He grinned. "Ouch.” Then turned around to look at her. “Well, do you want to try?”

“I won’t get involved.” She shook her head. “But if they don’t figure this out soon, I might just find enough work to make it impossible for them to be... _ like this _ .”

Eric laughed. “Oh, they’d still find a way.”

Gertrude sighed. “Just talk to them. The last report Michael handed in was barely coherent, even for his standards. And Gerard managed to miss a meeting with a contact last week. This is a mess.”

“Mhm, I bet they agree with that, just for different reasons.” Eric chuckled, before taking his mug and leaving the break room again.

*

Eric didn’t really plan on bothering them, even after Gertrude asked - no, instructed - him to do so. While Gerry was generally pretty open about anything with him, this seemed to be out of his comfort zone to talk about and Eric didn’t want to push him. But it  _ was _ getting pretty unbearable watching him mope around all day. Compared to how happy he had been only weeks before, it was quite the change. 

So, eventually, Eric did try to bring it up. He did so passively, just trying to create an opening so Gerry would talk. It didn’t work. Gerry spent most of his time in his room and, considering he never seemed to hear when Eric called, he assumed with headphones on, probably listening to music or playing some himself. It was like having him go through puberty all over again, but Eric had quite a couple of grey hairs more and maybe his patience was also significantly shorter because watching Gerry space out mid-sentence at dinner only to look wistfully into the middle distance for the third time in a week was starting to annoy him. 

He sighed. "Gerry?”

No response.

“Gerry, you're moping again."

That made Gerry look at him. "I’m not moping."

"True, I guess the more accurate term would be ‘yearning’."

It was impressive how quickly Gerry seemed to blush at this topic. "Dad, we talked about this."

They had, in fact, not. Eric had attempted to have them talk about it, but Gerry usually quickly found a way out of the conversation. Although today he seemed to be feeling more amenable considering he wasn’t instantly changing the topic. Maybe this was Eric’s chance.

"And yet you're still wistfully looking at...what?” He followed Gerry’s gaze, which had gone back to being a little hazy. “The snack cupboard? I guess that has always been your favourite place in this house."

Gerry sighed, his lips starting to pull into a pout. "Just leave me alone…"

Eric shook his head. “I tried that, but both you and Michael just keep getting more miserable. You can barely be in the same room together by this point without it getting horribly tense.” Gerry was avoiding his eyes, which Eric guessed meant he was aware of that. 

“Gerry, you should talk.”

"I'm not going to mess this up. We’re friends," he mumbled.

Eric had assumed that that’s where the source of the problem lay. He just wasn’t exactly sure  _ why _ . Maybe if it wouldn’t be so obvious that they both clearly wanted to get closer to the other he would understand better. With things as they were, he understood the anxiety, but didn’t see how it was preferable to finally talking it through.

"Why would you mess it up? You can be friends and...whatever it is you both would like to be at the same time, you know,” he tried after a moment.

"I want to kiss him," Gerry blurted out, and now his face was burning, the shocked expression on it making it clear that he had not meant to say that. 

Eric bit back a laugh. He didn’t want to destroy the moment after they had finally made it this far. He did not, however, fight the grin on his face when he said, "Considering how much he keeps looking at your lips, I'd say that's mutual."

Gerry’s eyes went wide. "Dad!"

Now Eric did laugh. "Michael has long stopped being subtle."

Gerry shook his head and sighed. He didn’t want to dwell on the possibility of Michael wanting to kiss him, too. It would be too much of a disappointment if it ended up turning out to be wrong. 

It wasn’t like Gerry hadn’t noticed the looks and the blushing, but he didn’t dare hope. It would just make him reckless. He didn’t want to lose Michael. Even if things were tense, it was better than fucking this up fully.

*

Eric let it be for another week, two. Nothing changed. Maybe he caught Gerry looking at Michael more questioningly once in a while, but, like before, he would generally instantly look away when Michael looked up. It was like watching the most frustrating romcom in real time. He sighed.

*

It took a moment to catch Michael alone and not busy. He always seemed to be doing something, even on days when Eric himself felt like he was going to nod off from boredom. But for once Michael was just looking into the air with a conflicted expression on his face as Eric walked into the storage room.

"Michael?" 

It took a moment before Michael focused on him. "Yes?"

Eric sighed at the absent tone. "Are you going to ask my son out anytime soon?"

At this, Michael froze and Eric nearly had to laugh at his aghast expression that slowly but surely turned into something much closer to embarrassment as his face turned red.

He stammered, "I don't! I mean, uh, I'm not sure I...know what you mean?"

Eric rolled his eyes. "You'd be the last one to find out, then."

Michael looked shocked. "I don't- I mean, I don't want to assume...I-"

Eric was starting to feel bad for making him struggle so much. He tried for a gentler tone. "You aren't assuming."

Michael shook his head. "I don't want things to get...weird."

Eric frowned. "Why would they? You seem to both be on the same page."

"You...you can’t be sure of that…” He was chewing his lip and avoiding Eric’s eyes.

Eric was starting to feel like they wouldn’t get anywhere. "Look, you should at least consider talking about it. Even Gertrude has started to complain about your pining."

Now he looked horrified. "She has?"

Eric nodded. “Just...maybe consider talking. Please.”

Michael looked even more conflicted than before. “I just...I don’t know what...to say…”

Eric shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter, does it? I think you just need something to break the ice and finally make you talk about this.”

“I...I’ll think about it…” Michael gave him a tentative smile. “But I need to get back to work now.”

Eric nodded and went back to his desk. He wasn’t sure if Michael was just being polite, or if he would actually think about it, but he felt like he couldn’t really do much more on this front. He guessed the next step would probably be to lock those two in somewhere until they’re forced to just talk, which sounded more like something Gertrude would do, not Eric. 

No, he had tried and would have to wait and see if either of the two would actually think about what he had said.

*

It didn’t seem to work, as far as Eric could tell. He was still stuck listening to their awkward conversations that really had no reason to even be awkward but were made so because both kept getting distracted by the other mid-sentence. Eric wanted to throw a pen or something more than once. 

Gertrude looked like she was considering the same when she walked into the office after Gerry had seemingly disappeared on her only to walk into a familiar scene of him trying very hard to gawk without gawking and also making Michael laugh, but not too hard because that’d make Gerry blush.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I mean, you can't say they DIDN'T talk...

Michael had been craving and avoiding being left alone with Gerry since Eric had spoken to him. His thoughts had been running in circles. The knowledge that apparently both Eric and Gertrude knew Michael had apparently developed feelings for Gerry was terrifying. It also meant that Gerry probably knew, if Michael had made it this obvious. And that was even worse.

Michael had been very focused on trying to get a grip on his own feelings, so even daring to think that Gerry, as Eric had implied, might have feelings for him  _ back _ had never occurred to him. But now that Eric mentioned it, Michael couldn’t stop thinking about it. Gerry actually didn’t seem to blush so easily, when Michael went out of his way to pay attention to how he interacted with others. He also didn’t seem to lose track of conversations so easily. And his bodylangue was just...different, when Michael took his time to really look at it. Was Eric right? Was Michael just seeing things he wanted to see? Should he ask?

Michael felt like a very tight-strung bowstring and it just kept getting worse as he kept trying to make sense of Gerry while also questioning every conclusion he drew because he was probably wrong. Or was he? Gerry smiled at him a lot. He didn’t seem to do that otherwise. Or did he?

“Gerry?” It was something between a squeak and a sigh that left Michael’s mouth. He had been stuck sorting files with Gerry all morning and he was starting to go insane, he really was. He needed to do...something. He didn’t know what, but the name was already out before that occurred to him.

“Hm?” 

Gerry was looking at him now and Michael’s brain must have stopped to function because what he said was, “Would you like to kiss?”

The silence that followed felt like years as they stared at each other. Gerry looked shocked and Michael was regretting asking, but then Gerry’s lips pulled into a grin as he mumbled, “I can’t believe even our first fucking kiss will be in the archive.”

“Oh, I mean, you don-” Michael only realised the actual words then and then he was blinking. That hadn’t been a no, had it? “Wait, what, do you-”

Gerry pulled him down for a kiss, just a press of lips before letting go again. Michael’s eyes were wide as he tried to catch up with what had just happened. His heart was racing as he stared into Gerry’s face in a mixture of shock and relief. Gerry was still grinning, though his eyes mirrored Michael’s surprise, maybe with a little question to it. Michael answered it by leaning down to bring their lips together again, slower this time. 

Gerry’s arms snaked their way around Michael’s neck as he kissed back, pulling him closer. He could feel Michael’s fingers in his hair, the other hand on his lower back and the tip of his tongue swiping over his bottom lip, somehow still shy in all its eagerness. Gerry’s lips parted and their tongues met and they pulled each other closer, Michael’s fingers twisting into the back of his shirt, his other hand cupping the back of Gerry’s head to tilt it back to kiss him more deeply. Gerry buried one hand in Michael’s curls as he nibbled on his bottom lip, drawing a small sigh from Michael he eagerly swallowed. 

They had to pull away eventually, both out of breath and wanting more and it took Gerry all his self control to not pull Michael back after a couple breaths. Especially after looking up at his flushed face and heavy lidded eyes and lips that were stained black in places and Gerry became aware of the fact that his own were probably a lot glossier than they had been only moments ago. He put a hand to Michael’s cheek and gently wiped away some of the smudged dark lipstick from his soft bottom lip. Gerry quite liked it. He wondered how it might look if he kissed Michael’s neck. His eyes following his fingers as they traced the side of Michael’s neck. He was losing focus again.

He looked back up again and Michael still looked a little dazed, but also worried. Gerry could relate to that look now that he realised what had just happened. He felt suddenly highly aware of the fact that they were in the archive and had just kissed. His heart, too, was apparently only catching up now.

“We should...probably talk about this.” Gerry mumbled after another moment of silence.

Michael nodded slowly.

“Are you free after work today?”

Another nod, and he let go of Gerry.

“Okay, I’ll pick you up, need to get some work of my own done.”

Michael smiled nervously. “Do that, I...I can finish this on my own.”

Gerry nodded and gave him a last smile before walking out of the room.

*

They went to a local pub after some consideration. It probably wasn't ideal for talking but at the same time it might drown out their conversation for others. As much as Gerry craved getting drunk to help with the talking part, he held back. It didn’t seem like the right thing to do. Michael seemed to be in the same boat. The silence at first was awkward, and Michael desperately wanted to break it with anything that was not what they had come here for. 

"I, uh...I never asked you what work you actually do outside of the Institute…" he tried. It should be okay to start the evening off with something lighter, right? And he  _ had _ been wondering.

Gerry seemed surprised for a moment. "Oh, yeah, I guess...we never really talked about that. I do some translating."

Michael knit his brows. "Oh, I think I remember Gertrude mumbling about you probably being able to translate that French statement once…"

"Yeah, I picked up quite a bit of languages on my travels and also just….in general.” He shrugged. “Sometimes I need distraction from both the Fears side of life but also the normal one that always made me feel...alienated. I found language learning helpful for that."

“Oh! That’s amazing!” Michael smiled. “How many do you speak?”

Gerry looked nearly bashful. “Five or so? Some I’m a lot better at writing than speaking, to be honest. And vice-versa...”

They actually hadn’t spent too much time talking about the years between their last meeting and their most recent one, at least not in detail. Gerry vaguely mentioned his travels and Michael occasionally talked about college, but it had never really come up in deep. So maybe it wasn’t too surprising when the conversation ended up going there tonight, when both were eager to avoid the actual topic at hand.

Michael didn’t particularly know  _ why _ they had never talked much about it. Gerry seemed to be happy to share some of his travel stories and Michael, after a while of mostly listening, found it rather fun to talk about his college years. Although not as exciting, Gerry still inquired about details and encouraged him to go on and Michael was yet again struck by how comfortable Gerry could make him feel. Until he slipped up and accidentally shared something he hadn’t meant to share.

“Oh? I wasn’t aware-”

Michael quickly shook his head, cheeks warming. “No, I mean, I really don’t mind ‘he’, I just...sometimes I miss ‘they’, a lot of my friends used it for me in college and it was nice? I don’t know. I like the ambiguity, I guess. But ‘he’ is fine, too.”

“I mean, I was just going to say, I wouldn’t mind. And Eric’s fine with it, too, I preferred it to anything else for a good while.”

Michael looked at him curiously. “You did?”

Gerry shrugged. “I don’t really care, now. ‘He’’s good.”

Michael was pulling on one of his curls. “I don’t want to be an inconvenience...”

“It’s not an inconvenience for me, and I doubt it would be to anyone, honestly.” Gerry watched as Michael bit his lip and tried very hard to stay on topic. “If you want me to, I’ll use ‘they’ and ‘he’ for you?”

Michael really didn’t know how they had come to this point in the conversation. It had been on his mind a lot lately, yes, but Michael hadn’t planned to  _ share _ that, even if Gerry didn’t seem the type to mind. It was still a little surprising for him to offer to accommodate Michael just like that. It had been like this with his closer friends at college, but it somehow still took Michael aback. He could feel the beginning of a blush as he gave a tentative nod. Gerry smiled.

They were both aware that the silence that followed was probably the ideal moment to finally talk about what they needed to talk about. They didn’t. Their next round of drinks arrived - still nothing alcoholic - and they ended up talking about those before slowly easing back into conversing about this and that. It was so easy to talk about anything but what they should talk about. It was easy to forget this wasn’t just a relaxed evening they decided to spend together. 

But, at the same time, it was also difficult to forget that and as the evening turned to night, Gerry couldn’t take it anymore. He sighed. “I don’t want to put a stop to the nice evening, but we...still haven’t talked.”

Michael seemed to deflate with the sigh they out, the smile on their lips turning to a frown. “I know, I’m sorry, I...I’m so bad at this.” They tugged a curl behind his ear, looking around. He had intended to talk, he had. He knew they had to. But he just didn’t feel comfortable doing so right now. Maybe it was the people? “Maybe...do you want to come over to my place? I- maybe it’s the...being outside.”

Was that a weird thing to suggest? It probably was. Gerry had never been over before and this sounded like a horribly awkward moment to change that and Michael should probably take that back-

“Sure, no problem.” Gerry hesitated, before adding, “I’m...not the best at it myself, obviously. And maybe getting...somewhere more quiet would help.”

Michael looked nervous and relieved at the same time. 

*

The silence was awkward as they sat on Michael’s couch. The walk home had been the same, silence only growing tenser as they walked. Michael just didn’t know what to say. Neither did Gerry. So they stayed silent.

Michael had made tea, just to do something, and the mugs were cooling on the coffee table, though neither spared them a glance. Gerry was looking around, taking in his surroundings. It looked cozy, just like a place Gerry would imagine Michael living in. A little messy - though nothing compared to their desk at work - but in a very homely way. It smelled of them. Or maybe Michael smelled of it. Gerry hadn’t been aware he had such a vivid idea of what Michael smelled like. Was that weird? 

They didn’t know who moved first, but Gerry really didn’t care when Michael’s lips were on his and things just felt  _ right _ again, awkwardness melting away as he felt Michael’s teeth graze his bottom lip, their tongue slip into Gerry’s expecting mouth. Gerry’s hands found their way to Michael’s hips and Michael followed with their own hands, pushing Gerry’s hands up and underneath the hem of his yellow sweater. 

Gerry took the invitation and ran his hands up Michael's sides, enjoying the small sigh Michael released against his lips, the little shiver as he leaned into the touch, into Gerry. Michael ran one hand down Gerry’s chest, the other buried in his hair, twisting long fingers into soft, black strands. Michael’s fingers were cold when they found their way under his shirt, tentatively brushed Gerry’s skin, but Gerry leaned into it all the same as he shivered. 

They were in each other’s laps, shirts long gone as lips and fingers grew more eager to touch and taste. The sofa’s limitations were starting to get to them, the half-sitting position awkward as they kept bumping into the backrest as they shifted, trying to get the other closer while also trying to keep them both from tumbling to the floor.

“Bed.” It had meant to be a question, but Gerry was biting at Michael’s collarbone, hand inching up Michael’s thigh, so close to where he wanted it, and Michael’s breath caught in their throat.

“Yes,” Gerry breathed.

*

Gerry was listening to Michael’s quickened heartbeat calm, his own matching as they both caught their breaths. The silence that followed was a little tense, or maybe it was just Gerry’s mind catching up to the situation too quickly. He wished he could swat the thought away and just enjoy the lingering bliss. He knew himself well enough to know he couldn’t. Michael seemed somewhat restless, too, so Gerry simply decided to break the silence.

“Michael?”

“Hm?”

Gerry considered what to say. He knew Michael was probably aware of what this was about. There had been very little talking since they stumbled to bed.

“Uh...should we talk tomorrow?” he ended up mumbling. How was this still so embarrassing to say with both of them tangled and naked?

Michael’s hand tightened on Gerry’s hip. This wasn’t a surprise, far from it. Michael had been thinking about that, too. The idea of starting the morning off with that conversation was terrifying and they’d rather not.

“I don’t think I can sleep while dreading morning...” they mumbled, eyes fixed on the dark ceiling. 

He really didn’t want to push this back any further. Michael was tired, but their mind was clear again and they knew things would just get worse if he kept trying to avoid talking.

Gerry nodded, head sliding off their chest because talking probably worked better without his cheek pressed against Michael. “Okay.”

Michael already missed the weight. Silence fell again, and this time it was definitely uncomfortable. Michael couldn’t take it.

“I...don’t know what to say.” He swallowed. “I’m….I’m really not good at...talking about this. Feelings. I-”

“I think I’m in love with you,” Gerry blurted out.

Michael was stunned into silence, face heating up as the words settled. It probably wasn’t much of a surprise, but hearing the words still sent their thoughts spiralling. “I think...I’m in love with you, too.” He bit his lip as his heart skipped a beat. They hadn’t dared to think it, not really, and hearing the words leaving their mouth was strange. It also seemed...incomplete. Like it didn’t really convey what Michael meant. “I was just...scared, because...you’re my best friend. I...was afraid things might get awkward or...or...change in...some way. I didn’t want to lose your friendship.”

Gerry thought about that for a moment. That had basically been his own thought process, too. But maybe his father had had a point. Who was to say they had to give one thing up for the other? If they were both on the same page they surely could work something out that might work without it getting really awkward.

“I mean...you don’t have to lose anything. Things...don’t really have to change?”

Michael shifted to look at him, a little confused. Things already  _ had _ changed. He brushed Gerry’s hair out of his face. “Uhm, well...this...is different.”

Gerry frowned. Wording was not his strength. “No, wait, I mean...not...not so much has to change? I mean like...our friendship. Doesn’t really...have to change? I guess? It’s just…uh...do you mind... _ this _ change?” He couldn’t believe this was still making him blush.

Maybe it was silly after all. It was easy to say such things, but Gerry had no idea if it would actually work the way he envisioned it.

“No! I didn’t mean, I mean...well….I don’t know, it’s not like it feels...wrong,” Michael tried, sounding as frustrated as Gerry felt. How was this so difficult to explain? 

Gerry sighed. Maybe trying to talk through everything in one night wasn’t the best idea. Gerry took Michael’s hand and squeezed it.

“Well, we can just...figure things out? Just...find out what...works, I guess. What’s comfortable.” He looked up at him. “I...maybe we don’t have to...talk everything through tonight, I mean. Maybe we just...have to see how things...work best for us? And...tell each other along the way? What...what’s comfortable, I mean.”

Michael nodded. That didn’t sound too bad. They didn’t have to come up with some sort of solid plan tonight. Michael was too tired for that, and they also just...weren’t sure what it would include. There was no rush.

“Sounds good.” He shifted to their side and wrapped their arms around Gerry, pulling him close and resting their head on his. He sighed, feeling the rest of the tension leave him as they realised things were fine, even if they hadn’t talked through everything tonight. It would be okay. They buried their nose in Gerry’s hair, mumbling, “I’m very comfortable right now.”

Gerry chuckled and cuddled closer, closing his eyes. “That’s good to know.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I feel like we hadn't really talked about hands enough in this fic, do you feel me?

Eric was having coffee when he heard the front door open and close. He had wondered when Gerry would be back after he had left with Michael after work. It hadn’t necessarily been a surprise when he didn’t come back that night, but that didn’t mean Eric wasn’t curious. He walked out of the kitchen, mug in hand, and watched as Gerry unlaced his boots.

"How did it go?"

Gerry gave him a quick glance, before stepping out of his boots. “Fine.”

Eric raised an eyebrow. “Fine? I assume you already had breakfast?”

“I did.” Gerry threw him a wide grin as he passed by the kitchen. “And yes, I think it went fine.”

Eric raised his eyebrows as he watched him go into his room. “Fine, sure…”

He was smiling into his coffee as he walked back into the kitchen. It was good to see Gerry in a good mood again.

*

Gerry felt strangely giddy when walking into the archive on Monday. He probably shouldn’t, but he was, because Michael knew now and apparently it was okay, wanted even, so Gerry wouldn’t have to try so hard to hide his feelings. They could hang out again, like before. Maybe not quite like before, but it hopefully just wouldn’t be as awkward as the last weeks.

Michael’s desk was empty when Gerry entered the office, and the disappointment he felt surprised him.

Eric sighed from his desk. “Good morning, there’s no need to pull such a face, Michael’s in the break room.”

Gerry nearly jumped at the voice - he hadn’t noticed his father - and nodded, mumbling a ‘good morning’ before quickly walking into the break room.

Michael looked up when they heard the steps approach, lips already pulling into a dimpled smile. “Good morning.”

“Morning.” 

Gerry thought back to the same exchange two days ago, when had woken up in Michael’s arms, and the ‘good morning’s had been accompanied by a kiss or two, or twenty, lazy and comfortable. Something about the light blush dusting Michael’s cheeks made him think their mind was probably in similar places. Gerry really wanted to kiss them.

“Do you want to kiss?”

The blush became a lot more noticeable on Michael’s face as he nodded. It was short and sweet, just a press of lips before they pulled away again, but it left them both grinning at each other.

*

They decided to meet again on the weekend. They had no plans set out, just ended up taking a stroll downtown. It was fun, talking easy, and without the constant awareness of a topic to avoid, a lot more pleasant.

There was still a bit of awkwardness as they felt out how close they liked to walk, if they'd like to hold the hand that kept brushing their own or just leave it like that. But there was no pressure to find answers to that question right away. Or to any of them, really. They were just enjoying themselves and each other’s company and, for now, that was all that really mattered to both. 

Gerry accepted the offer to stay the night and it was a lot more pleasant to cuddle on the couch without feeling the need to talk. Just trying to figure out a comfortable position for both, see where legs and arms fit best. Michael’s hands ended up in Gerry’s hair and it was bliss. Michael ran his fingers through the shaved hair at the back of Gerry’s head and the noise Gerry made at that sounded very close to a purr.

They chuckled. “You sound like a cat.”

Gerry blinked his eyes open, mumbling, “It feels really nice.”

“I’m glad.” 

Michael looked at Gerry’s relaxed expression with a smile, running the fingernail of his thumbs up Gerry’s undercut, drawing another sigh from him, eyes fluttering close again. Michael was still fascinated by how long his lashes were, fanning out beautifully over his cheekbones. He considered for a moment before leaning in and pressing their lips to Gerry’s cheek.

Gerry smiled and opened his eyes to look at Michael. “What do you like?”

“Hm?”

“If there’s anything that feels this nice to you,” he clarified, running his thumb over the back of Michael’s hand that was resting on Gerry’s thigh.

Michael considered that for a moment, still scratching the back of Gerry’s head. “I...don’t know? Or rather...I guess I’m not too...uh, picky.” They shrugged. “Just...generally have sensitive skin.”

Gerry ran his thumb over Michael’s wrist, nail gently scraping over it. “Is this good?”

Michael shivered pleasantly. “Mhm…”

Gerry smiled and continued to draw patterns on the inside of his arm. 

*

The weekends became something of a regularity, both of them enjoying the little extra time spent together. Together and outside the Institute for once. Often they’d just take walks, go to the park only to come home and throw on a movie or something. Whatever they were up to. Michael didn’t really care what they did, they just really enjoyed having Gerry around. And Gerry seemed to be on the same page, so even when they ended up meeting up with nothing planned, they always figured something out.

“Fiona asked you to visit again.” Michael mumbled on one occasion where they had ended up just hanging out on the sofa.

Gerry raised his head from where it was leaning against Michael’s arm. “Oh, I mean...if you want to?”

The request seemed a little less daunting to Gerry now. Michael talked about her a lot and it felt like Gerry already knew her a little.

Michael chuckled and wrapped a strand of Gerry’s hair around his finger. “I visit regularly, I just don’t want to drag you along if you feel uncomfortable.”

“No! I mean...I haven’t seen her in a while, and it’s...not like we were very close, I guess that just made me a bit...anxious.” Gerry looked up at him with a hesitant smile. It felt silly when he admitted it out loud. Michael only nodded reassuringly. Gerry added, “But I’m not opposed to it. I’d love to meet Mittens, too.”

Michael chuckled. “Next week? I usually go Sunday, but if you prefer Saturday that’d work, too.”

Gerry shrugged. “I have no plans for next week, so either is fine.”

Michael let go of Gerry’s hair and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Okay, I’ll talk to her.”

Gerry hummed and pressed his face into Michael’s neck with a smile. Michael went back to playing with his hair.

*

Gerry was still strangely nervous when they walked up the stairs to Fiona’s apartment. He didn’t exactly know why, but he was. Michael looked perfectly at ease. It was a little strange to be the anxious one of the two for once. Also a little funny. He tried to calm himself by focusing on how comfortable Michael seemed.

Fiona looked surprisingly similar to how Gerry remembered her, a little older. Her voice was familiar as she started to ask him how he’s been and what he’d like to drink. That took off a little bit of the edge as Gerry followed Michael into the apartment. 

Her apartment was cozy and it reminded Gerry of Michael’s, in a way. Not necessarily in decorations, more of the general feeling of homeliness. By the time they had all sat down on the plush sofa, and even the cat - Mittens, as Fiona introduced him, though Gerry of course knew that already - warily sniffed Gerry from his place in Michael’s lap, Gerry was starting to feel less on edge. The fresh cake and tea helped.

Mittens had moved to Gerry’s lap when Michael left to get more tea. Gerry had been a little surprised, but the moment he tentatively scratched his head Mittens started purring. It made Gerry smile. Fiona had moved from her seat, too, though she was searching for some picture she had mentioned. Gerry had been worried about silence, about how awkward things might get if they ran out of things to talk about. But it was fine. He could hear Michael through the open kitchen door and Fiona muttering to herself as she went through the shelf, Mittens warm and purring under Gerry’s hand. This was nice.

When Michael came back to the living room, both Fiona and Gerry were bent over the coffee table. He smiled, and put the tea on the free side of the table. The rest of the surface was occupied with a very familiar sight. Michael sighed, though still smiling.

“The photo album?”

Gerry nodded, “Fiona said there’s some pictures of me.” 

Michael moved a little closer, trying to catch a glimpse at it themself. “I mean, you used to stay over…”

Michael mostly let Fiona talk about the pictures, only occasionally adding to it when one or another made an old memory resurface. The pictures with Gerry were few, though, and soon it was all Michael. They hadn’t changed too much, facewise. It was nearly uncanny if it weren’t for the fact that everything else had. His eyes looked a lot livier now than they had at eight. Gerry could relate.

There was one picture, however, that did make Gerry interrupt Fiona’s nostalgia. It seemed to have been taken in some kind of concert context, Michael, at maybe ten, on a stage with what looked to be a cello. “You play cello?”

Michael started fidgeting with the hem of his sweater, suddenly feeling flustered. For some reason, that always happened when it came to music. “Oh, well...I haven’t in a while-”

“Why don’t you play us something?” Fiona looked at him with a smile. Michael would sometimes play when they came to visit. They had even left the cello in the guest bedroom a little while ago and still hadn’t taken it back home. “It’s still where you left it last time.”

“I don’t want to bore you,” they sounded a little panicked now as he looked at Gerry, trying to make him understand that he really didn’t need to be polite and could just say he’d rather not listen to that. 

Gerry smiled at them, curious and reassuring, though he couldn’t exactly tell why Michael looked so freaked out. “No, I’d like to hear. Only if you’d like to play, of course.”

Michael looked surprised. “Really?”

Gerry nodded. “Only if you want.”

“O...Okay.” Michael nodded, tentatively. 

He still wasn’t awfully fond of playing in front of strangers, but Gerry wasn’t a stranger. They got up from the sofa to retrieve the instrument, heart beating a little faster. Nervousness, yes, as usual, but also a strange kind of excitement. Michael  _ wanted _ to play for Gerry. Michael took the opportunity to tune the cello in the other room. He never liked being watched doing so, expecting eyes only making their hands shake with the awareness that every movement was being observed.

They were still feeling nervous when he walked back into the living room and sat down, ready to play, but still a little flustered. The photo album was closed and Gerry was holding a fresh cup of tea in his hands and smiling at Michael, encouraging.

Michael returned the smile and started playing, first a bit hesitant - it had been a month since he last played - but he quickly got back into it, fingers moving smoothly over strings. Their lips settled into a pleasant smile, eyes lowered as he always did when playing; audience not forgotten, but disappearing into the background, behind the comfortable, pleasant sound of the music Michael had spent so much time listening to for years, a haven, a source of comfort. 

When Michael was done and looked up again, Gerry was still holding his tea in the same position, eyes a little wide. The expression made Michael blush furiously, brushing a stray curl behind his ear just to distract himself. They had never really liked the moment after playing, when he had to face the audience again. The nerves would be back as before and they’d feel uncomfortable under the gazes. But he wasn’t feeling uncomfortable now. He was flustered by that beautiful, enchanted look in Gerry’s eyes.

It was Fiona that broke the awkward silence, “That was lovely.”

Gerry nodded in agreement and finally brought his cup of tea to his lips, cheeks turning a little pink.

*

“Was that okay?” Michael asked the moment they were back at his apartment. It had ended up being quite the long visit and they had stayed for dinner at the end. Gerry kept saying he didn’t mind, but Michael still worried it might have been a bit too much.

Gerry threw himself onto the couch. “It was nice! I’m very full, though…”

Michael chuckled and sat down next to him as soon as he was out of his jacket. “Me too.”

Gerry took their hand and started tracing their fingers with his thumb. He had noticed Michael’s fingers before, long and slim, always moving, fidgeting,  _ pretty _ . They had been so focused earlier when he played and Gerry felt like he realised how pretty Michael’s hands are all over again. Michael’s head was resting on his shoulder by now, eyes closed as Gerry kept outlining his hand, drawing little circles on the back of it.

“Your hands are beautiful, did I ever tell you?”

“Hm?” Michael’s eyes fluttered open again, though he clearly didn’t want to open them.

Gerry chuckled. They should move to bed. “Your hands. Fingers. They’re incredibly pretty.” He squeezed Michael’s hand gently. “Just reminded me of it today. You playing.”

“My hands?” Michael turned his free hand over in his lap. “They’re kind of just...boney?”

Gerry sounded offended, “They’re  _ lovely _ .”

Michael chuckled. “No, yours are.”

“Mine?” 

“Yes, have you seen them? You always move them so gracefully.”

“Gracefully?” Gerry stared at his hands. It would never occur to him to describe them as  _ graceful _ . He knit his brows. “They’re rough.”

“They’re beautiful,” Michael insisted.

“My right fingers are still a bit crooked from when I broke it-”

“They’re  _ pretty _ ." Michael's voice was starting to have that stubborn quality to it that it always got when he got tired. They took Gerry's hands in theirs and brought them to their lips, pressing a kiss to the back of each. "They’re yours and they’re pretty and I love them.”

Gerry laughed at that, a warm and bubbly sound. “Okay, fine. Guess we both have pretty hands, then.” He squeezed Michael’s hands gently. “Should we go to bed?”

Michael nodded, a triumphant smile on his face.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Archive shenanigans, but no-longer-pining edition

A couple of days passed without Gerry stopping by at the Institute, which wasn’t unusual. However, it did add to Michael’s confusion when he walked into the break room towards the end of the week to find Gerry’s bass laying on the couch. He had seen it in Gerry’s room a couple times, case full of weathered stickers, so Michael recognised it, but that didn’t make the sight any less confusing. He hadn’t even _seen_ Gerry today. And of course there was the question of why he would bring his bass to the Institute.

“Michael!”

Michael didn’t hear Gerry approach, but they felt his hand on their lower back a moment later and turned their head to look at him, smile already on their lips from hearing Gerry’s voice.

“Gerry, hi.” He bent down for a short kiss. “I didn’t see you coming?”

Gerry hummed, smiling. “I think you were in the storage room at the back.”

“Ah.” Michael’s eyes flickered back to the instrument. “Uh...is that your bass?”

“Yes.”

“Why is it here?”

“Oh, I’m meeting up with some people to play, but I knew I wouldn’t have time to go home and get it.”

Michael looked surprised. “You’re in a band?”

Gerry laughed. “No, just...something casual. I wanted to play more but I feel like I need to somehow pressure myself into it. So I thought I’d try it out.”

“Oh.” Michael looked at the bass again. They had eyed it many times while over at Gerry’s, curious but too shy to ask about it. But now Gerry had heard them play, so it didn't feel too nosy to ask. “Could you play something now?”

That didn't mean Michael didn't feel the blush rise to their cheeks at the question. Maybe it was still a bit strange to ask this at work. But Gerry technically didn't work here. And Michael had wanted to take a short break anyway.

Gerry smiled. “You want me to?” 

“Yes! I’ve...I’ve been wanting to hear you play for a while.” Michael tucked a curl behind his ear, mumbling, “Too shy to ask.”

Gerry’s smile went soft at the edges. “No need to be shy.” He pressed a kiss to Michael’s cheek. “But sure, I can play a bit.”

Gerry went to the couch to set up and Michael took the opportunity to get himself some tea. It felt awkward to watch, maybe just because they hated being watched getting ready to play themself. When he turned back towards the couch, Gerry gave them a smile, then started to play.

It was a bit loud, though Michael assumed anything would sound loud down in the archives, where normally most noise was swallowed by shelves and carpet. It wasn't unpleasant though. Michael liked it, liked feeling the hum of the bass in that small room as much as he heard it, a tingling against his skin. Gerry's fingers slid over the strings with skillful grace, breathtaking, an easy grin on his lips, eyes somehow both focused and lost in the moment. 

Michael realised, yet again, how beautiful this person was, how insane it was that Michael was allowed to hold those pretty, pretty hands, kiss those lovely lips. Talk to him, hold him, look at those dark eyes in the sunlight, in the shade. They must have done something right in life if, somehow, Gerry had become part of it. 

Michael was tapping his foot, a smile on his lips, when the door to the break room opened again, loudly. It made them jump and Gerry stop, spell broken as he looked at the source of the noise in mild confusion, maybe a little irritated. Gertrude wasn’t quite glaring at Gerry, but her stern expression still made Michael stand up straighter.

“Gerard, did I not send you to get those files?”

Gerry sighed, and put the bass back in its case. “Yes, yes, I’m onto it.”

“I would appreciate it if you’d also keep your music outside the Institute,” she added, before turning around - not without throwing Michael a glance that made them instantly feel guilty for slacking off - and leaving the room again.

Gerry rolled his eyes and got up from the couch. "Looks like I better hurry." He gave Michael a grin and a short kiss. "See you later."

Michael nodded and watched him leave the room before getting back to work themself, the awe from before still lingering in the small smile on their lips.

*

Gerry seemed to spend more time in the archive the following weeks, though Michael was fairly sure that had more to do with him being stuck on whatever Gertrude was having him work on. Still, Michael liked to take advantage of it and sneak a kiss or two when they happened to be in the same place. They often weren’t, each following up on their own work. 

Today, Gerry hadn’t even seen Michael on his way in and had simply gone straight to Gertrude’s office after a short chat with his dad. He had been trying to ask her about something for days now and kept being told she was busy, and Gerry’s patience was running thin, so he didn’t even bother knocking.

“Gertrude, about the book-”

Gertrude looked up with an irritated expression. “Gerard, I’m in the middle of recording, could you-”

Gerry shook his head. “No, I’ve been trying to ask about this for two days now, you’re always busy. I can’t run errands for you if you don’t-”

“Gerry! I didn’t know you were here already, it’s rather early.” Michael came to a stop by the open door and gave Gerry a surprised look.

Gerry turned his head to look at them with a smile. “Good morning.”

“Morning!” They returned the smile for a moment, before seemingly remembering what he had wanted and looking at Gertrude. “Oh, right, I have a statement that might need some personal following up, I just wanted to tell you. If you don’t have anything else for me to do, I’d probably go right away?”

Gertrude sighed. “Do as you see fit.”

“If you wait a moment, I can come with you?” Gerry knew that Michael didn’t particularly like personally following up on people, at least not when he had to do so alone. And he was in no rush, even if Gertrude finally answered his questions, it would take a bit to find what he needed.

Michael looked pleasantly surprised. “Oh, sure, I mean...there’s no rush. I really just wanted to make sure-” They looked towards Gertrude, and noticed the tape recorder for the first time, expression morphing into one of shock. “Oh, did I interrupt you?”

“No, Gerard did.” 

Gerry took that as his cue, turning back towards her and waving the notes in his hands. “Yes, anyways, about the book…”

Michael quickly ducked out of the office with an apology, looking like he genuinely felt bad for interrupting her work. He always did. Gerry, on the other hand, looked like he couldn’t care less.

Gertrude turned off the tape recorder with a sigh. It wasn’t the first time she had been interrupted like this, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. Maybe she should really consider locking her office door.

It wasn’t the first time Gerry and Michael went on personal follow-ups together, but Gerry still found it funny how confused people seemed to react to their clashing aesthetics. It was one of the reasons he liked going along or bringing Michael with him. People generally relaxed when Gerry started talking, but usually most still preferred talking to Michael, who was a lot more awkward in such situations, but also all pastels and soft sweaters compared to Gerry’s leather and tattoos. Often it would end up with Michael having to talk quite a bit. He always looked exhausted after.

“Did you get what you need?”

Michael was trying to detangle a strand of hair from his earring. He played with his hair a lot when forced to talk to strangers, and it had gotten all wrapped around it.

“Yes, that should suffice. Just another dead end, really.” They made a frustrated noise, though Gerry assumed that had more to do with the hair situation.

He stopped walking and touched Michael’s arm to make them do the same. “Let me help, you look like you’re just making it worse.”

Michael stopped and let go of the earring with a defeated sigh, holding still as Gerry started to detangle the blond strands from it. There was something calming to the motion, or maybe it was just Gerry. He had always had something calming about him to Michael, something safe. 

Gerry finally managed to separate hair from earring and gently tucked the loose strands behind Michael’s ear. “Here you go.”

Michael smiled at him. “Thank you.”

They grabbed coffee for everybody on their way back and when they arrived back at the archive, Gertrude seemed to be going over something with Eric.

“We’re back. With coffee.” Gerry put the cups on Eric’s desk. Michael was already halfway through his cup of tea and also typing away on his phone.

Eric looked up. “Thank you.”

Michael glanced up at them. “I need to go up to the library real quick, that book I’ve been trying to get my hands on is apparently finally back.” “I’ll write the report as soon as I’m back.”

Gertrude nodded. “Sure.”

Gerry looked back at him, his own cup in hand. “Okay, then see you tomorrow, I should get back to work, too.”

Michael bent down for a short kiss, though they lingered for a moment before pulling away. “See you.”

Michael turned around and left the room again. Gerry watched them leave with a smile, before moving to the breakroom where he had left his bag earlier.

Gertrude shook her head. “I’m unsure if I didn’t prefer whatever they were doing before.”

Eric chuckled. “Oh, come on.” Gertrude gave him a look. Eric shrugged. 

“Look, at least you don’t have to hear them.”

“And neither do you!” came Gerry’s voice from the break room. 

Eric grinned. “I did have to sit through your thirty minute tirade on how the light reflects on Michael’s eyelashes literally two days ago, Gerry.”

Gerry emerged from the break room with his things and rolled his eyes at Eric, though his cheeks were tinged pink. “See you later.”

“Take care.”

Gertrude only sighed as Gerry left the room.

*

Gerry was right, of course, Eric rarely heard or saw much of them due to them spending most weekends at Michael's apartment. In fact, it was starting to be a common thing that Gerry would end up forgetting one thing or another over there. And then he’d just leave it. So by now, Gerry had a bit of everything at Michael’s place. 

Eric was used to seeing him search around the apartment for something he probably forgot at what was basically his other apartment by this point. Especially in the morning, when Gerry was generally disoriented and just frowning into the middle distance trying to remember where he might have put whatever he’s missing. Or frowning into the kitchen sink, in this case.

"Forgot something at your second residence?" Eric teased from the kitchen table.

"Shut up, dad." Gerry sighed and took out his phone, starting to type. Eric was pretty sure he was probably asking Michael whether whatever item he cannot find is at his place.

"Does the movie night still stand, by the way?" Eric asked.

Gerry turned around. "As far as I know? We'll just be gone the Friday. Saturday should be fine."

"Alright." Eric smiled. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes sometimes I steal comments left on my fics to use in the fic and I just REALLY liked JayBarou's one from last week so


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A weekend of adventure, kind of.

Eric had been the one to suggest they enjoy the free Friday and escape the city. “I don’t think they get out much.”

Gerry had looked up from his laptop. “Maybe not his thing?”

“Maybe.” Eric had shrugged, and stopped stirring dinner. “But it’s worth asking, the weather is supposed to be nice.”

Gerry considered. He would certainly not mind getting out, it had been a while since he had the opportunity to leave London on any occasion that wasn’t work-related. And Michael had suggested doing something with that free day, though neither of the two had given any concrete ideas. Gerry could at least suggest it.

“It’s not a terrible idea…” he mused.

Eric turned around to him with a smile. “Great, now I need you to move from the table.”

“Oh yeah, sorry.” Gerry got up and closed his laptop, putting it to the side so he could start and set the table for dinner.

*

Michael, as it turned out, was more than excited about the idea. They were a little nervous about it, too, but Gerry reassured him that they didn’t have to do anything crazy. There were plenty of hiking trails that were perfectly fine for beginners.

Michael’s excitement didn’t keep him from complaining about how early he had to rise. They could have probably just stayed the night, but neither was really feeling like doing that. This was meant to just be a short trip for one Friday. So waking up early enough was necessary and Michael pretty much grumbled about it for most of the way. Or at least until he started nodding off in the car.

He was in a much better mood after his nap and soon enough they had everything they needed from the car and set out. It was still a little foggy, but Gerry was confident that it would be nice after it cleared up. He didn’t mind personally, and Michael looked enchanted by the mist.

They looked enchanted by everything, really, eyes big as they took in the vibrant green of the trees around them. It looked adorable, and Gerry liked pointing out one thing or another, a patch of moss, or fungi and watch Michael’s face light up. It wasn’t long before his phone was in his hand to capture some of the things he was seeing.

“You really don’t leave London much, did you?”

Michael shook his head as he crouched down for another picture. “Not really, no.”

Gerry watched him struggle to get his phone to focus on the mushroom. He crouched down next to them.

“You should fix your camera settings.” He held out a hand and Michael gave him their phone after a short moment of confusion. They watched as Gerry clicked around for a moment before giving the phone back. “Should be better. Or as good as it’ll get with a phone so old.”

Michael chuckled as he accepted the phone back. Gerry watched as they pointed the camera back at the mushroom and sighed with a smile. He reached out and steadied Michael’s hand, fixing the horrendously crooked angle at which they were holding the phone. Michael threw him a glance, a light grin playing on his lips. “You do know I just want to take a picture of the cute mushroom?”

Gerry returned the grin. “And you will. But it won’t be blurry or at a strange angle.”

Michael laughed and leaned in for a short kiss. “You’re cute.” 

“And  _ you _ just fucked up the angle again.” 

They both laughed at that.

The fog had cleared and they were making steady progress at a comfortable pace. Gerry was searching for a good place to rest and have the sandwiches they had brought for lunch, Michael trailing close behind him. Gerry looked like he knew exactly what he was looking for and how to find it. Michael was visibly impressed.

“Do you do this often?”

Gerry looked back at him. “Hm?”

“If you go on hikes often.”

“Oh, no, not really. But I used to.” He shrugged. “Dad would often drive us out on long weekends or something.”

Michael smiled. “That sounds nice! Why didn’t we invite him?”

Gerry raised an eyebrow. "We're already hanging out tomorrow.” He gently pulled Michael down to press a kiss to his cheek. “I wanted to spend some time alone with you.”

Michael didn’t point out that most of their weekends were just the two of them. They understood what Gerry meant. It felt different, here, amidst the trees, no city lights or noise. Just birdsong. 

Michael smiled and squeezed his hand. "Next time maybe."

Gerry nodded. "Sure."

They moved on without letting go of the other’s hand and soon enough Gerry found a dry tree trunk to sit on. Michael sighed and stretched his long legs the moment he sat down. He had been thinking that a break would be nice for a bit now. They got out their lunch and sat in silence, resting and eating.

“So...how...do you feel?” Gerry asked after a moment. He sounded surprisingly awkward and Michael looked at him from where they were sitting right next to Gerry.

“In general? Pretty good right now.”

Gerry looked frustrated, and also a bit flustered as he tried again. "No, I mean if everything...is alright. For you. I mean...us."

Michael frowned, trying to make sense of his mumbling. Had something happened to make Gerry ask this? But then why would he put it so broadly? It sounded more like he wanted a general answer.

"You want...a performance report?" Michael asked, unsure how to put it differently. He did make himself smile with it, and then blush for smiling at his own word choice.

Gerry’s cheeks were turning pink. “No!” He knit his brows. “I mean...kind of? Look, I don’t know, some...a while has passed? I just wanted to ask if...you are happy, I guess?” 

He had given up trying to look at Michael and was instead picking up crumbs from his lap, leg bouncing. Maybe he shouldn’t have asked. Or maybe he should have done so more subtly. But he just wanted to know.

Michael looked at him for a while. He was still a little confused as to what might have brought this up. Had Michael said something? Was something wrong and they hadn’t noticed? “I am.” Michael didn’t need to sit on that answer, it was easy enough. They did hesitate before asking, “Are you?” 

It ended up sounding a lot more anxious than intended, and Gerry met their eyes. “I am! The question wasn’t based on anything, it’s just….well. I was just….curious? I guess?” He ran a hand through his hair. “I mean, I just...I’m happy with how things are. And you seem to be, too, but...there’s really no way to know for sure? Without asking. I guess.” Michael couldn’t remember the last time Gerry had been this flushed. He lowered his eyes again, mumbling, “Sorry if that was weird, I didn’t want to freak you out…”

Michael felt very bad for laughing, but they didn’t manage to stop themself. "I can't believe I used to think I was scared of you." 

Gerry gave them a confused look. "You what?" 

"When we met again. After we started school?” Michael smiled at the memory. He was always reminded of that day when he needed to get something out of that specific room in the archive. “I left really anxious? I thought it was fear.” Michael twisted a curl that had escaped their ponytail around his finger, voice lowering into more of a mumble as they continued, “I think it was a bit of a crush." 

Gerry was a little confused about the turn the conversation took, but he welcomed it. This was a lot less awkward than what they had been talking about before. And Gerry did get his answer. He relaxed with a smile. "Oh, I had that after. When we met again a couple years later?"

Michael laughed. "That was full gay panic for me." 

Gerry snorted. "Okay, same actually.” He looked up at the trees with a grin. “I thought of you a lot after that day."

Michael watched his face with raised eyebrows. "...Not sure I want to know the details."

Gerry burst into laughter, shoving him a little. It only made Michael giggle.

They didn’t go much further after lunch before turning back, preferring to keep their leisurely pace and still make it back to the car before it got dark. They could always come back, and it wasn’t like things didn’t look different in the afternoon light. Plenty of pictures were still taken. Gerry even agreed to a selfie after some pestering from Michael. He did refuse the front camera, so it turned out a little blurry, but Michael was happy with it and they moved on.

Michael was asleep pretty much the moment Gerry started the car. It didn’t look very comfortable, but Gerry didn’t have it in himself to wake him. It wasn’t like he didn’t understand. Gerry was certainly looking forward to getting to bed as soon as they were home.

*

To Gerry’s surprise, Michael was awake when he woke up himself. They were still in bed next to Gerry, but their phone was in his hand and he was smiling at the screen. Gerry yawned, leaned his head against their shoulder.

“Good morning.”

Michael turned to look at him and smiled. “Morning. Slept well?”

Gerry nodded. “You showing the pictures from yesterday to Fiona?”

Michael nodded and cuddled closer. “Do you want to see? Some turned out really nice.”

“Sure,” Gerry mumbled and looked up at the screen, squinting a bit at the brightness. “Wait, what was that?”

“What?”

Gerry rubbed his eye. “Was that me?”

“Oh!” Michael clicked the home button. “My phone background?”

It _ was _ Gerry, except Gerry had no memory of that picture being taken. It was clearly from the hike, Gerry sitting on that log they had sat on for their break, leaning back slightly, face towards the stray rays of sunlight finding their way through the trees. His eyes were closed, lips pulled into a small smile. The whole picture was at a strange angle, as most of Michael’s pictures were.

“Michael, the angle is horrible…” Gerry mumbled, though he could feel his face warm at the realisation that Michael had apparently taken at least one candid photograph of him and  _ set it as his phone background _ .

Michael rolled their eyes and grinned at Gerry. “There’s no such thing as a bad angle with you.”

Gerry blinked, surprised. He was not awake enough for this. His face felt like it was on fire, and he buried it in Michael’s arm.

“You can’t just  _ say _ things like that this early in the morning…”

Michael laughed, and shifted so he could wrap his arms around Gerry. “It’s nearly noon. Also, see it as revenge for all the times you’ve made me blush with compliments first thing in the morning.”

They pressed a kiss to the top of Gerry’s head before burying their nose in it with a sigh.

*

Michael was already getting ready when Gerry emerged from his shower. It was something Gerry always loved watching, the care and consideration Michael put into everything from his clothes to his earrings or the colour of his lips. He sat down on the bed, still in his towel, hair dripping onto the bed sheets, and simply watched Michael in front of the mirror with a smile on his lips.

Michael noticed him after a moment. “What are you smiling about?”

He caught Gerry’s eyes in the mirror. His whole expression was so full of adoration and the fact that it had anything to do with Michael was still difficult to imagine sometimes. Like right now, when all Michael was doing was getting ready, just as he did every day. Nothing to warrant such an enamoured look.

“I’m just...appreciating.”

Michael tilted his head to the side curiously. “Appreciating what, love?”

Gerry’s smile was a little lopsided as he said, “You just...look great. Always. I think this style really suits you.”

Michael turned around, the beginning of a blush over his freckled cheeks. “You would look great in it, too, Ger.”

Gerry raised both eyebrows, eyeing Michael’s light blue jeans and lilac sweater. “I really don’t think so.”

“That’s nonsense. You’re just used to all black, but you’d pull off whatever.” Michael winked. “No bad angles, remember?” 

“Stop it…” Gerry said it with a little flustered smile, making Michael’s lips pull into a smile of their own.

“How about we try?”

Gerry looked up again. “Try what?”

“Put you in my clothes? I’m sure we can find something that isn’t outrageously big on you.”

“I’m not  _ that _ small.”

Michael chuckled. “Exactly. So?”

Gerry considered for a moment. He couldn’t really think of any reason to not give it a try. Could be fun. “Why not. Might be interesting.”

Michael considered him for a moment. “Can I braid your hair, too?”

“Sure, we might as well go all out.”

Gerry would certainly not deny an opportunity to get Michael’s fingers in his hair. He approached the bed, climbed into it next to Gerry. They pressed a small kiss to Gerry’s cheek before moving behind him on the bed and started to gently twist the wet strands into braids.

Michael sighed. "You're dripping."

"You say that every time."

"That's because it's true." Michael finished the second braid after a moment, pressed a kiss to the eyes on the back of Gerry’s neck, now exposed. "Dry off a bit while I search for clothes."

Gerry sighed, not feeling like moving from his comfortable position at all. Michael climbed out of bed again and held out his hands with a smile. Gerry grinned and took them, allowing Michael to pull him up. Michael let go and moved to his closet as Gerry moved to dry himself off better, put on some boxers.

When he looked up after discarding the towel on the bed Michael was already holding a fuzzy, light yellow sweater. Gerry raised an eyebrow. "Yellow?"

Michael shrugged. "I just know for sure that this one is a little small on me. But I can offer you other colours, too?"

Gerry shook his head and took the sweater from him. "I'll try it on."

Michael turned back to the closet, pondering about the rest. "Hm...I guess a skirt might fit. Any colour wishes?"

"Besides black?"

Michael rolled their eyes. "Yes."

Gerry considered. “Grey?”

“That’s just pastel black, Ger, be more creative.”

Michael chuckled a little, as he often did at his own jokes, though it was drowned out by Gerry’s laughter a second later.

“Okay, okay.” He looked into the closet full of pastels. “What about something purple?”

“Hm…” Michael searched for a moment. “Try this one. More lilac, but I think it might compliment the sweater.”

Gerry took it and put it on, then turned around. “How do I look?”

Michael took a moment to take him in. He had already pushed the sleeves of the sweater up to his elbows, and the skirt was maybe a little long, but nothing that wouldn’t be fixed with his boots. Michael liked it a lot, the soft, light colours against Gerry’s tan - well, at least compared to Michael it could certainly be called that - the black of his braids a lovely contrast. They smiled, before answering, “Cozy.”

Gerry ran a hand over the front of the sweater, mumbling, “This sweater is insanely soft…”

“I think you told me last time I wore it.” Michael nodded towards the mirror. “Do you want to take a look in the mirror? Or should we do makeup first?”

Gerry grinned. “I’ll look when we’re finished.”

“As you wish.” Michael took his hand and sat him down on the bed, before going to get what they needed.

Gerry never had somebody else do his makeup. He usually didn’t like people getting so close to his face. He was used to it with Michael from all those lazy morning exchanging kisses, sometimes just laying there, foreheads pressed together or nose to nose. So he didn’t mind Michael’s face hovering so close now, his gentle touches, especially when there was such a lovely little blush across his cheeks and his eyes looked so intense with focus.

“Why are you blushing?” 

“You’re just...very pretty,” Michael mumbled, bashful.

Gerry chuckled. “Right back at you.”

The comment only made them blush more, and Gerry grinned. They fell back into a pleasant silence as Michael continued. That was until it came to the lips.

“Gerry, I told you before, these aren’t for eating…” Michael mumbled after they caught Gerry nibble at the lipgloss Michael had just finished putting on his lips. 

Especially the scented ones, Gerry had the tendency to eat off Michael’s lips when he was wearing them. It had taken a while for Michael to understand why sometimes Gerry’s kisses just involved a lot of gently biting and licking their lips, and why sometimes they didn’t.

“They smell like they are for eating. I still don’t understand how you manage not to.” Gerry swiped his tongue over his upper lip with a satisfied hum.

Michael rolled his eyes. “Well, I can probably find a similar shade unscented.”

Gerry frowned. “No.”

“Then stop eating it.” 

He sighed, and tipped Gerry’s head back again to fix the spots Gerry had already eaten away. Gerry held still and tried to ignore the sweet, delicious smell coming from his lips. It wasn’t too difficult with Michael’s face a mask of concentration, eyebrows drawn together just a little. They were beautiful.

Michael smiled after he was done. “There you go.”

They reached out to undo the braids, gently ran fingers through the still slightly moist waves. They gave a satisfied smile as he watched the gentle waves settle against Gerry’s soft skin. He looked amazing.

“You look great. Do you want any accessoires, too?”

Gerry looked up at him, smiled at the proud, sweet expression on Michael’s face. “I mean, I don’t feel like taking my piercings out, but if you want to give me something else, sure.”

Michael looked him over. Something did seem to be missing. “Hm…” 

He went back to his closet and rummaged through it for a moment. Gerry watched his back with a content smile.

Michael found what they wanted, and moved back to the bed, lilac choker in hand. “May I?”

“Of course.” Gerry gathered his hair up and held still as Michael put the choker on carefully.

“I’ve never seen you in this,” Gerry said, running his fingers over the choker after Michael pulled away.

Michael smiled, brushed Gerry’s hair behind his ear. Yes, now it looked right. “I don’t wear it often. Sometimes I really can’t take things around my neck like that. It’s...it makes me anxious.”

“Oh, okay.” Gerry smiled up at him. “So? Are we done?”

Michael nodded and returned the smile, taking Gerry’s hand. They pulled him to the mirror. “There you go. I think my point is proven.”

Gerry looked at his reflection. He didn’t hate it. It had been a very long time since he had looked into a mirror without wearing exclusively dark colours, so it didn’t quite look like himself. But it didn’t look  _ bad _ . The hair was quite the contrast to the light yellow, even with the gentle waves from the braids. He quite enjoyed the makeup, if he was to be honest. He had always liked the glossy lips on Michael, but it didn’t look half bad on himself. He did think Michael pulled the rosy cheeks off better than he did, though.

“Do you like it?”

Gerry caught Michael’s eyes in the mirror, looked at his lilac sweater. “We match.”

Michael chuckled. “Not intentional, but yes.”

“I do like it.” Gerry pressed a kiss to Michael’s cheek. “And it’s  _ very _ cozy.”

Michael wrapped his arms around him, pulling him closer. “I’m glad.” They kissed Gerry’s forehead with a grin. “I told you you’d look great.”

Gerry chuckled. “With your help…” 

Michael hummed, and ran a hand through Gerry’s hair, watched their reflections in the mirror. It did look odd to have Gerry in something so light. But also lovely. Michael pressed a kiss to his temple.

“Do you want to change back before we leave?”

Gerry grinned. “No.”

Michael chuckled. “Alright.”

*

To say Eric looked surprised when he opened the door - Gerry had forgotten his keys at Michael’s apartment - would be an understatement. He blinked, confused, then squinted. Eric could not remember the last time he had seen Gerry in colour. Or if he had, for that matter, ever seen him in  _ pastels _ .

“What happened?”

Gerry rolled his eyes and walked past him with a grin. “Michael did.”

Michael followed, chuckling. “I was making a point.”

Eric closed the door, looked at Gerry, then at Michael. “What point?”

“I was telling him he’d look great in my clothes, too.”

Eric laughed. “Of course.” He looked at Gerry, who was already making his way to the kitchen. “Point proven, I guess.”

Michael smiled brightly. “Exactly!”

“Where’s the popcorn?” came Gerry’s voice from the kitchen.

Eric sighed. “Everything’s in the living room already. In case you didn’t notice, you two are late.”

“I think I took a bit long with the, uh...styling, I guess. Sorry.” Michael gave an apologetic smile.

Eric grinned. “It’s fine, just teasing. Come on, before he gets to the popcorn first.”

Michael chuckled before following Eric to the living room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heavily inspired by very old server conversations, at least the second part.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of little things happen and one bigger thing is decided.

Despite Gertrude’s distaste of it, Gerry kept bringing Leitners to the Institute to burn. In a way, it was safer that way. But his main reasoning was to watch Michael’s face light up when Gerry walked in with a book in hand. It was worth Gertrude’s constant complaining. 

Michael looked just as excited after the tenth book went up in flames in his hands, eyes wide and bright, reflecting the yellow flames. Gerry didn’t bother hiding his smile by now, probably matching Michael’s joyous grin, just for different reasons.

“You look so pretty like this,” he mumbled after the book was in the bin and Michael’s gaze lowered to watch the flames further.

Michael blinked, confused. “Burning something?” 

“Yes,” Gerry breathed the answer, more of a dreamy sigh than anything.

It was the tone more than anything that made Michael’s face warm. “Uh, oh...thank you?” 

Gerry smiled, pressed a short kiss to his jaw. Michael returned it and took his hand, squeezing it gently. They watched the flames slowly die as the book turned ash. Or Michael did, Gerry watched their face, still as excited as when the flames had started. 

They lingered for a moment after the flames went out fully, a comfortable silence Gerry interrupted after a moment, “Need to tell Gertrude how this went.”

Michael frowned. “I think she was recording…”

Gerry grinned. “Even better.”

“It is equally concerning and cute how much joy you get out of annoying her.” Michael grinned at him, one eyebrow raised. They walked back to the door into the Institute.

Gerry stuck out his tongue. “Could say the same of you and burning books.”

“Burning  _ evil _ books.” Michael held the door open for Gerry to go through. He did, but not without pressing his lips to Michael’s for a moment.

“Of course.”

They walked back to Michael’s desk in idle chatter, neither of them in a hurry. It was a slow day and Eric was still not back from doing some sorting when they arrived back at the office. Gerry mentioned something about the weekend, if they could maybe dye his roots. Michael nodded, a little absent because they felt like they were forgetting something.

Gerry was already turning around to leave when they remembered, “Oh, Fiona asked about lunch Saturday. If you have any wishes.”

Gerry stopped in his tracks and looked back. “Hm, not really. I’m not picky.”

Michael smiled. “Alright, I’ll make sure she knows.”

*

Gerry loved having Michael dye his hair. Eric did help him with it occasionally, but it wasn’t the same. While Eric tended to complain all the way through, Michael seemed to enjoy it quite a bit, sometimes even humming under their breath as they applied the dye. And if Gerry stayed very quiet and got lucky, he’d even do it louder, maybe sing. Michael had a nice singing voice, though he got shy whenever Gerry pointed it out. So he had stopped doing so. For now, it seemed to be working. Last time Michael had been over and Gerry played a little, he had hummed along, not stopping even when Gerry acknowledged them with a smile. They were getting there.

Michael also always took great care when they dyed Gerry’s hair. Not that Eric didn't, but there was something soothing about Michael’s gentleness, the occasional apology when he did accidentally end up pulling, the constant asking if everything was alright. It made Gerry feel warm and pleasant, and, if Michael wouldn't ask if everything was alright regularly he would probably fall asleep. As it was, he simply held still, eyes closed - it wasn't the first time, Gerry trusted Michael to know what he was doing - and enjoyed the feeling of Michael’s fingers running through his hair, the soft humming accompanying the motion. Gerry felt at peace.

*

Gerry was, as usual, already half in a conversation with Fiona by the time they reached the kitchen. They were a little late, so the food was ready and only needed to be brought to the table. It was a quick feat with the three of them, despite having a very excited cat run between their legs as they did so.

They managed, and soon were seated and eating, chatting idly. It was easier to keep the conversation going with Gerry. Well, at least now when all remaining awkwardness was gone. Michael liked being able to lean back and simply listen to Gerry and Fiona talk without feeling pressured to join in. Watching the people he loved get along, chat and laugh, made him feel warm. The cat purring in his lap probably added to it.

Gerry was left to entertain the cat while Michael helped Fiona with the dishes after lunch, and he was clearly not mad about it. Sometimes Michael thought Gerry would like to take the cat home. 

Michael looked content as he dried off the dishes Fiona handed to him. And they had looked it every time Fiona had shot him a glance at the table. Still, she was a little concerned about tonight’s silence. It wasn’t that Michael was incredibly talkative usually, but she felt like tonight he had been extra silent. She was probably imagining it. 

But she also knew Michael well enough to know he still struggled with talking if something  _ should _ be wrong, so she still decided to ask, "You didn't talk much today. Everything alright?"

"Yes. I was just...enjoying listening to you two." They chuckled, sounding a little embarrassed. "It...it just makes me happy." 

The smile they gave her was shy, but earnest and Fiona shook her head, chuckling. It sounded so much like something Michael would enjoy, just watching people he cared about talk in silence. 

“Is that weird?” he asked.

“No, dear, it’s just very...you, in a way.”

They raised an eyebrow. “I hope in a good way.”

“Of course.” Fiona pet his shoulder with a smile. “Will you play us something today?”

It had become a bit of a recurring thing for Michael to play a little bit after their lunches at Fiona’s. It was nice to get some practice in. Michael did miss playing regularly sometimes, had been feeling more like doing so again lately. And they loved looking up at Gerry’s enchanted expression after they stopped. He never failed to look at Michael like he had just witnessed something wonderful, magical. It was adorable and also incredibly flattering, and just made Michael’s day every time.

But today, they shook their head. “I don’t feel like it today. But, uh, I might take the cello back with me. I’ve been wanting to play more…”

Fiona nodded, smiling. “Of course. I’ll visit if I want to hear you again.”

“You’re always welcome.” He grinned.

She ruffled his hair gently. “I know, my dear.”

They stayed for a little while longer, chatting over boardgames Gerry got unreasonably invested in, which was kind of cute, at least in Michael’s opinion. Fiona was just as passionate about it, and Michael couldn’t stop smiling. He did nearly forget his cello again later, when they got ready to leave, but Fiona reminded him.

The sun was already setting by the time they were outside after promises of coming back soon. Gerry’s hand was in Michael’s, and the cello was a familiar weight on their back as they walked back to the car, and Michael felt content. They shot Gerry a glance, eyes catching the orange light of the sun beautifully as he returned Michael’s gaze with a serene smile.

*

While Michael tended to wake up easily, and so, often ended up awake early, he refused to move out of bed until absolutely necessary, part of him hoping he could maybe fall asleep again. He never did, but that didn't mean they would stop trying. It just wasn't worth getting out of his warm and comfortable bed before he had to. And on Sunday, he technically didn't have to at all. So they were visibly displeased when Gerry started to sit up, taking his warmth with him. Not surprised, Michael knew he had to get up early today, but definitely not happy about it. 

He blinked at Gerry’s back sleepily. Gerry was yawning, stretching his arms. He probably could have done with a couple more hours of sleep himself.

"You know...I wouldn't mind you moving in here," they mumbled, shuffling closer to wrap their arms around Gerry’s middle, to bury their face in the small of Gerry's back, warm and familiar, with a sigh.

Gerry blinked, confused, and tried to turn around enough to look at Michael without necessarily forcing him to move. It was a little out of nowhere, but Michael’s voice was still heavy with sleep, so maybe that was it and Gerry’s quickened heartbeat was for nothing.

"Are you sure that isn't just the morning haze speaking?" he mumbled, pet Michael’s hair.

Michael shook their head, or maybe they were just nuzzling Gerry’s back. "No, I've...I've been wanting to ask. If you'd...like that."

Gerry did turn around, then, despite Michael’s audible protest. Michael rolled back onto his back with a yawn, looked up at Gerry’s face when latter leaned over him.

"I would, but I still think we should probably talk about this better later."

Michael nodded. "You'll be back for lunch?"

"Yeah. We'll talk then." He bent down and kissed Michael’s lips. "Get some more sleep."

Michael nodded with another yawn, and rolled back onto his side when Gerry got up from the bed. Michael watched him get dressed, movements a little slow with lingering sleep, but still elegant, still beautiful in the half-dark of Michael’s room on Sunday morning. 

Michael tried to imagine how it might be, to wake up together during the week, too. It sounded nice, the idea, and Michael’s eyes fluttered close again with a smile. He felt Gerry’s lips against his temple, and mumbled something that might have been 'see you later' or 'I love you' and it didn't really matter what words left his sleepy mouth, Michael knew Gerry understood what they meant. 

*

They did get to talk about moving in together properly later that day, and, maybe not to Gerry’s surprise, but certainly to his relief, it turned out Michael was very much of the same opinion when fully awake. It had apparently been on their mind for a good while, and it was getting to the point where Michael had thought through every option so thoroughly it was starting to stress them out. So he had finally asked.

“I’m sorry if that came off as a little out of the blue...it...it made sense in my head,” Michael mumbled, playing with a loose thread in his sleeve, sounding embarrassed.

Gerry laughed. “It’s fine. It was a surprise, but a pleasant one.” He took Michael’s hand, squeezed it. “And...well, I’m glad you still mean it. I have to admit I’ve been entertaining that idea for a good while, too…”

“You have?” Michael sounded surprised.

Gerry nodded. “Of course. I...I miss having you there sometimes. At night. In the morning. It’s...it’s nice.”

“Oh…” Michael smiled, softly. “Well, I feel the same.”

Gerry pressed a kiss to the back of their hand. “So...it’s settled?”

Michael nodded, still smiling. “Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi we're getting ~dangerously close~ to where I stopped writing so I'll either need to sit down and Write or put this on hiatus for a bit, which I'd hate, but considering how eh I've been about getting writing done lately, it might be unavoidable...
> 
> (I shall say so if it comes to it, I do have next week's chapter basically finished and the one for after that half done so you'll hear about it then, probably jdfbsjfjhj)


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I mean, this wip was just called The Move so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a bit of a short one, sorry!

It took a bit of coordinating, but they eventually settled on a date for the move. Michael wanted to give themself enough time to clean out some space for the rest of Gerry’s things - there was already so much of Gerry’s in his apartment, but it was all just messily thrown into the little free spaces Michael had. He also just generally wanted to reorganise some stuff. Michael was, by nature, a bit of a hoarder and he knew for a fact that a lot of the occupied space was currently being occupied by things he never used or needed. 

Fiona came over to help him and offered to put some of those things Michael didn’t want to part with in her spare room until he had more space. Michael accepted the offer gratefully, feeling the familiar anxiety that always came with trying to decide which of his things he wouldn’t miss down the line. He felt a little bad, too, knowing that Fiona’s guest room was already full of their stuff.

“Do you want me to help on the actual moving day, too?” Fiona asked when the last of the boxes with Michael’s unwanted - for now - things were in her car.

“Sure! I think Eric’s coming to help, too.”

She smiled. “Haven’t seen him in a while.” 

Michael nodded. “I’m sure he’ll like seeing you again. I’ll text you the time, we’re not entirely sure yet.”

“Alright, dear.” She pet his cheek with a smile. “Take care. And don’t stress yourself out too much. It’ll all work out.”

Michael nodded, a grateful smile on his lips.

*

Moving day came quick and in the end it was nearly crowded with the four of them in Michael’s apartment. But it was  _ fun _ . Eric and Fiona had a lot of catching up to do as they worked, making for a lot of funny stories from work and otherwise entertaining conversations.

Conversation flowed easily between the four, and things were quickly brought up from the car and put away with everybody’s help. They ate lunch packed a little tight around Michael’s dining table, but Fiona had cooked, and nobody complained.

Eventually, they were mostly done and it was starting to get late, and both Fiona and Eric said their goodbyes, leaving Michael and Gerry to put the last couple things away on their own. Gerry had taken the bedroom, where a lot of miscellaneous things had simply ended up on the bed, unsure where they belonged. Michael decided to finish sorting the things in the bathroom that had become a bit of a mess as they tried to find space for all of their things.

It took Michael maybe half an hour to figure things out and he decided to go and check if Gerry needed any help. Or if he wanted to take a break, maybe have dinner. He had been rather silent, the music he had been playing earlier while he cleaned had stopped a couple minutes ago. 

When Michael opened the bedroom door, they found Gerry lying on the bed, eyes focused on the ceiling, but distant. He looked tired. It had been a busy week for him and it showed. Michael sat down on the edge of the bed, gently touched Gerry’s hair.

“You alright?”

Gerry blinked a couple times, moved his head to look at Michael with a smile. “Yes.” He sighed and rolled over, buried his face in the side of Michael’s thigh. “Just a little tired.”

Michael brushed his hair, followed the side of his neck with his thumb. Gerry hummed, craned his neck to the side, a silent request, an invitation. Michael smiled, started drawing patterns on his neck, rubbing circles into his shoulder. Gerry practically melted under the touch.

“Gerry? Do you want a massage?”

Gerry looked up at them. “If you’d give me one, I wouldn’t say no.”

Michael smiled. “Can you take off your shirt? And maybe find a more comfortable position, I can’t reach your back like this.”

Gerry grumbled disapprovement, but did drag himself into a sitting position, starting to pull his shirt over his head. Michael still felt their cheeks warm at how casually he did it, like it was the most normal thing to undress with Michael right there. And it was, Michael guessed, it wasn’t like they weren’t used to it. But occasionally, it still made him blush, the sudden realisation that somehow it had gotten from stealing glances at Gerry in the Institute to watching him casually undress in Michael’s room. It was strange to think of, and Michael couldn’t help but smile.

Gerry more or less threw himself back into the mattress, shirt flung to the side. He got comfortable, nestled his head in his arms with a sigh. Michael took a moment to let his eyes wander over the plane of Gerry’s back, skin smooth over lean muscle, a dusting of freckles on his shoulders, some acne scarring. It was beautiful and it didn’t matter how thoroughly Michael had explored it already, with their fingers, their lips, sometimes just mornings spent taking it in with his eyes, Gerry’s back still filled him with a sense of reverence, and when Michael reached out to run his fingers along Gerry’s spine, the touch was featherlight in disbelief that Michael was allowed to touch it like this, casually, when it felt like something to be worshipped.

“I’ll be right back,” Michael mumbled before getting up from bed, disappearing through the door.

Michael came back a moment later, bodylotion in hand because his dry hands on Gerry’s dry back wouldn’t make for a very pleasant massage. They also knew Gerry secretly enjoyed the vanilla scent of Michael’s lotion, had noticed him breathing it in, burying his nose in Michael’s shoulder or neck or arm whenever they’d use it.

Gerry shivered at the touch of it, cool against his back, Michael’s hands not much warmer than the lotion itself. They never were, but Gerry fought the urge to turn around and take them in his until they were warm, as he usually did. Instead he focused on the feeling of Michael’s hands on his back, kneading his shoulders, then moving down, applying just the right amount of pressure. Gerry relaxed, practically melted under the touch with a sigh. It was bliss after a particularly full week and Gerry simply indulged, stress bleeding out of him under Michael’s dexterous fingers.

When Michael was done, Gerry was fast asleep. He had noticed him slipping from tense to calm to sleepy, but Michael had seen no reason to not let him. The move was mostly done, it was late and Gerry had been exhausted in the first place. So instead of waking him Michael covered Gerry with a blanket, pressed a kiss to Gerry’s hair, and quietly left the room.

Gerry woke up an hour or so later, disoriented, but feeling a lot better. He rolled onto his back, blinked his surroundings into focus. Michael’s room.  _ Their _ room, Gerry corrected with a smile. It felt strange to think of it that way, somehow. It all felt so familiar, so much like home already. But at the same time, it was also strangely thrilling to think of it being official, to think of the fact that Gerry wouldn’t be going back to his apartment after Sunday. 

He got up from the bed, shivering slightly as the blanket slid off his shoulders. He looked around for a moment, spotted his shirt on the floor and put it on, before leaving the room. Faint humming was coming from the kitchen, and Gerry followed it to find Michael in front of the stove, cooking something that was making the kitchen smell divine. Gerry smiled, carefully wrapped his arms around him from behind and buried his face between his shoulders, breathing him in.

Michael chuckled. “Did you sleep well?”

Gerry nodded into their sweater. “Thank you for the massage…”

“Anytime,” Michael said, pet his arm. “I kind of need to move to cook.”

“It already smells really tasty.” Gerry nuzzled his back with a grin. “I’ll just move with you.”

Michael rolled his eyes, but they were smiling. Gerry’s chest was warm against their back and he couldn’t say he was opposed to that. It felt nice, and even if it made finishing preparing food a little more awkward, Michael didn’t complain.

*

Living together took some adjustment, some getting used to, but at the same time, it was all already strangely familiar. Michael hated being up early just as much during the week as they did on the weekends, took a while to drag himself out of bed at all. Having Gerry’s warm body right next to him, something Michael had come to connect to weekends, did little in motivating them to get up.

Gerry, though, often rose early. He preferred getting work done early when he could, and had always been too restless to linger in bed long after waking up. Well, with Michael there it was a lot more tempting but usually Gerry managed.

He liked preparing breakfast on those mornings, when he was up without anything to hurry him and Michael was trying to stay in bed as long as he could. Michael had looked incredibly confused that first morning he had rushed into the kitchen, fully expecting to hastily throw something together that might generously be called ‘breakfast’ only to find tea and toast already waiting for him, Gerry sipping his own coffee at the table as he looked at his laptop screen.

“Oh…”

Gerry smiled up at them. “I noticed you tend to rush through the breakfast part a bit. Hope you don’t mind me trying to change that.”

Michael didn’t exactly know how to react, only stared, tired, surprised and also a little flustered.

“I mean, if you stare at it for much longer you’ll still have to rush…”

“Oh, I- I’m sorry!” Michael sat down, bit into their toast. “You...didn’t have to.”

Gerry grinned. “I know, but I wanted to. It sounded nice to have a bit more of a relaxed breakfast with you. Like we do on weekends.”

“Well, it’s basically lunch and breakfast in one on those…”

Gerry chuckled. “True. But still, I thought this might be nice. So you don’t have to leave even more stressed out.”

“You’re so sweet…” Michael gave him a tired, but loving smile. “Thank you.”

So Gerry, after making sure it was, indeed, okay, liked taking on breakfast on mornings when he didn’t have any contacts to meet or didn’t have to hunt down Gertrude - those mornings they would often simply go to the Institute together and pick up something to eat on their way - and Michael always looked incredibly grateful and the smile was too bright for the early morning and Gerry basked in it.

Mornings weren't the only thing they had to figure out, but they fell into something of a general routine fairly quickly. Chores were distributed equally, and often done as a team, which ended in laundry or cooking taking longer than it should have, kisses stolen and anecdotes told that made both laugh and forget they were meant to be working. But it was okay. Sooner or later, they would get everything done and that was really all that mattered. 

The most novel thing, probably, was the fact that they had each other’s company every evening - except for the ones when Gerry had something Leitner-related to do late. It felt strangely awkward in the beginning, despite them being used to it being the case on weekends. It was simply a different feeling when both were tired, not from the week, but from their day, and had the other to talk to about it, or to sit with on the couch in silence, cuddling, or each reading a book. It was nice, and both Gerry and Michael quickly found joy in looking forward to their evenings together throughout the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it for now until I can get myself to write ~the rest~  
> take care <3


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which mischief happens and a pet is acquired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like it'll take a little longer before I can finish this...alas, have this bit for now.

Little changed at the Institute. Except that sometimes Michael and Gerry would arrive together and Gerry liked making it a habit to pick Michael up from work so they could go home together when he didn’t have to work late. Otherwise, he stopped by occasionally, as usual, sometimes for workrealted reasons, sometimes to just hang out.

Eric had volunteered to get lunch for Michael and himself on Tuesday. Gertrude had been in a sour mood when he arrived that morning, complaining - not for the first time - about how apparently Michael and Gerry kept interrupting her recordings, making them useless. Michael had arrived a little later, but there was a lot of work and Eric wanted to stretch his legs. He was standing in line when Michael’s message arrived, saying Gerry would join them for lunch. Eric sighed, but was glad he had read it before buying the food.

When Eric arrived back at the office, Gerry was, for sure, there, hips pinning Michael to his desk as they kissed. Michael’s hand was in his hair, the other arm wrapped around his waist and neither of them heard Eric’s steps as he entered, too absorbed in one another. Eric rolled his eyes. It wasn’t the first time.

“I thought this might stop after you move in together, but I see you’re keeping it up.”

Michael froze, leaned back with wide eyes and rapidly flushing face, lips smudged black. Gerry tensed, too, took a step back and turned around.

“Hello to you, too, dad,” he said, sweetly and Eric shook his head, walked into the break room with their food. Gerry and Michael followed, Michael a little more hesitant than Gerry.

Eric refilled his coffee. “I just don’t get it, can’t you just make out at home?”

Gerry peeked into the bag, grinned. “Hm, not the same flavour.”

Eric snorted and turned around. “Never heard ‘dusty archive air’ romanticised before.”

Michael nearly dropped his food container at that, and Gerry laughed. He leaned against the table with his own food, watched Eric drain his coffee. 

“What’s up? You seem to be in a mood today.”

Eric shrugged and took his own food out. “Not really, Gertrude was in a mood this morning.”

Gerry raised an eyebrow. “Are things not going exactly how she’d like?”

“She was actually complaining about  _ you _ interrupting her recordings.” Eric started to eat with a grin.

“What’s she going to do? Fire me?” Michael wondered at how wide Gerry’s grin could get.

Eric shrugged. “Probably lock her door.”

“Shame.” Gerry took a bite himself and considered for a moment. “I guess I could still knock on it loudly.”

“You should change it up a little.” There was a conspiratory tone to Eric’s voice as he said it that made Gerry look up from his food with interest.

“Oh?”

“Aren’t you the one that does some of the translations for the foreign statements?”

Gerry grinned. “You have my attention.”

Michael, who had been silently eating their lunch, watched as Gerry and Eric put their heads together with equal amounts of dread and endearment. There was something cute about how much joy Gerry seemed to get out of annoying Gertrude, the mischief in his eyes when he would come up with some new way to piss her off. However, Michael still felt a little uncomfortable. But maybe it was the fact that he couldn’t quite hear what they were saying, so he couldn’t mentally prepare for whatever the plan was. Michael decided to dedicate themself to their food and ask about it later.

It took less than a week for Michael to find out what exactly Eric and Gerry had planned. Or rather, Michael asked Gerry to tell him the same day on their way home, but it took only a couple days for the plan to be executed. Apparently, Gerry had been working on a Spanish statement already. 

So when Gertrude came into their office a couple days later, looking irritated, Michael could guess what it was. Gertrude’s eyes fixed on Gerry, who had gotten a chair to sit at Michael’s desk as he went through some files. He didn’t really need the desk - not that there was a whole lot of space on it with all of Michael’s trinkets - but it was a nice excuse to bump their knees together or just occasionally reach out to squeeze Michael’s hand. Gerry liked being close, and how it still made Michael blush. It was cute.

“Gerard, can you explain why the statement you translated turns into nonsense about halfway through?”

“Oh?” Gerry leaned his head to the side, a picture of innocence. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Did somebody else start writing about colour theory in the translation?”

Michael couldn’t quite keep down a snicker and Gerry looked at him, mischief in his eyes, “Michael, you shouldn’t prank Gertrude like that!”

The tone was obviously teasing but Michael still froze for a moment, cheeks growing warm. Gerry laughed and Gertrude simply shook her head with a sigh, throwing Eric, who was clearly struggling not to laugh himself, a last annoyed glance before going back to her office. 

*

Gerry was typing away on his laptop that night, face all scrunched up as it often got when he was close to finishing one of his translations, impatience fighting perfectionism as he fixed the last couple things. The expression was such a contrast from the easy joy from that morning, eyes brimming with mischief and amusement. But somehow, still, Michael couldn’t describe him as anything but adorable, then and now.

"You're cute.” They pressed a kiss to his temple with a smile.

Gerry blinked, looked up from the screen. "Hm?"

Michael chuckled. "I was just thinking of this morning. There's something adorable in how much joy you seem to get out of just. Inconveniencing Gertrude. It’s...endearing."

Gerry grinned. “Think you already told me that once.”

Michael returned the grin. “It still applies. And I can add that you look incredibly cute right now, too.”

Gerry chuckled, snaked one arm around Michael’s waist and pulled him closer. “Thank you.” He kissed their cheek. “Also, I do hope teasing you earlier was okay. Should have warned you, probably.”

Michael leaned his head on Gerry’s shoulder. “It was fine. I was just...surprised.”

“Well, I guess now you know for next time.”

Michael raised one eyebrow, looked up at Gerry’s face. "Next time? Do you think she'll let that happen?'

Gerry shrugged, a grin playing on his lips. "I did give her the correct translation before I left. We’ll see."

He went back to typing, though told Michael to stay when they started to straighten up again. Their weight on his shoulder, pleasant as much as it was familiar, a great motivator to finally get this done, even if it did make typing a little more awkward.

*

Gerry waited a good while before pulling the same stunt again. It was more out of curiosity by that point. He wanted to see if he could do it again. It had taken a bit before Gertrude had asked him to translate again since the last time.

This time, Michael simply decided to play along, reacting to Gerry’s accusation with a grin, and a mock-exasperated ‘I would never’. Gerry blinked, surprised, before laughing. 

Gertrude rolled her eyes and muttered something about her useless assistants as she shook her head. But Gerry thought he caught the smallest of smiles on her lips, little more than a twitching up of the corner of her mouth. 

He raised an eyebrow, but Eric was quicker to speak up, “Oh, is that a smile, Gertrude? Are you feeling well? I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen you smile since 1986.”

She glowered at him, but it only made Eric laugh. Even Michael couldn’t quite keep down their chuckles after the initial shock. Gertrude shook her head, muttered something about them giving her a headache, and retreated back to her office. 

Gerry made sure the full translation was on her desk before the workday was over.

*

Both Michael and Gerry were still chuckling about it when they met again later to go home. It was Friday and they both had been in a good mood anyway, but Eric’s comment followed by Gertrude’s reaction still made for some snickers as they talked about it on their way home. Maybe Michael was starting to understand, a little, the fun Gerry seemed to have annoying Gertrude.

They liked cooking together on Fridays, at least when they had the energy to do so. There was something calming about it, moving with and around each other in their kitchen, stealing kisses, mumbling something sweet at the other for no other reason but because they felt like doing so. They were both decent cooks, having been raised by people with a passion for it, and it became a fun game to try and merge recipes from Fiona and Eric together.

Their food was in the oven, and work was far away by now. Their conversation had shifted to weekend plans, or anything not related to work, really, by the time they started to clean the kitchen. Michael had finished wiping down the counter and was leaning against it now, watching Gerry do the dishes, ready to dry them. His mind, however, was elsewhere.

“Ger, do you think we should get a pet?”

Gerry threw him a glance, raised an eyebrow. They sounded so nervous about it. “Do you want one?”

Michael sighed. “I want a snake.”

Gerry blinked, surprised, then chuckled. “Oh, I think...you mentioned that before. I was kind of expecting you to say cat, though.”

“Honestly, I always wanted a dog. If I had the space...” Michael looked at him curiously. “We can get a cat, though, if you want. I like them, too.”

Gerry laughed. “Are we moving to what  _ I _ want already? You didn’t even get to tell me what snake you want.”

Michael blushed a little, played with one of their curls. “I mean...would you be okay with getting one?”

Gerry nodded. “Of course. They’re cute. And from the vague idea I have, care should be manageable even with our workshedules.”

Michael’s eyes lit up in a way they usually did when he saw an opportunity to talk about something they were passionate about. “Yes! I mean, it depends on the species I guess, but at least the ones commonly kept as pets. Actually, I guess even others are probably still more manageable...at least compared to mammals. And…”

Michael continued for a little longer and Gerry listened to their animated explanations with a smile, stopped doing dishes to turn around properly and watch the excitement on his face, bright eyes and wide smile that always accompanied Michael finally finding an opportunity to share what he knew on a topic that had occupied their mind for a while. Gerry loved those moments, loved the way Michael’s excitement was infectious and always ended up sparking interest in Gerry for things he had never really thought about before. 

Michael’s rambling mellowed down after a moment, and then he was silent again, looking satisfied, if a little apologetic. It was a lot less than in the beginning, and Gerry gave them a reassuring smile. “You’ve been thinking of this for a while, haven’t you?”

Michael returned the smile with a shy one of their own. “I mean, yes, recently it’s just been...more on my mind. Remember I told you we’re trying to set up some sort of get together with some people from college? One of them has a royal python and has been sending us pictures...or well, me. Because I asked.” They chuckled. “I showed you the pictures, I think?”

Gerry nodded, “What were you thinking of? What kind of snake to get, I mean. The same?”

That smile was back on Michael’s face, barely-contained excitement even though he kept his tone casual as they answered, “Oh, I mean, there’s...a couple I’m interested in. But for something bigger I’d rather have more space to give it an appropriate enclosure. So, uhm, maybe just...some colubrid. Kingsnake or corn snake or something?” His smile pulled into more of a grin. “Mexican Black would go well with your aesthetic.”

Gerry chuckled. “We’re choosing  _ your _ snake based on  _ my _ aesthetic?”

“I mean...I just want you to like it, too.” Their smile was bashful and Gerry’s only softened.

“Well, I clearly don’t exclusively like black, considering I love you and you never wear it.” That pretty blush crossed Michael’s cheeks and Gerry leaned in to press a kiss to it. “What would you like?”

Michael hummed, eyes fluttering close at the kiss. “Kingsnake wise? Probably grey banded...I really like grey in snakes. Though corn snakes have that, too! They’re also orange! And I do love them, they are the sweetest little creatures…and pretty common. From what I can see most rescues seem to have a lot of them.”

"Sounds good to me. You've been looking into rescues?"

Michael nodded. "Yes, from what I've seen…"

*

After further research - though, as far as Gerry could tell, Michael was just refreshing what they had already been reading up on - they decided to set up for a corn snake. They contacted one of the rescues Michael had been browsing the websites of, and, a couple weeks later brought a corn snake home. After some back and forth they decided to call her Tangerine.

It was a struggle for both of them to leave her alone and let her settle in the first week. Michael was understandably excited, but Gerry was just as delighted by her. He was unsure if it was simply Michael’s joy being contagious, or Tangerine being that adorable. One way or another, it wasn’t rare for one or the other to get lost watching her explore the tank. It brought a smile both to Michael’s and Gerry’s lips. And with Gerry’s help not  _ every _ picture of her Michael took ended up shaky.

When she had settled in, Michael started taking her out to hang out with them in the evening. It was a joy to watch her climb around the couch, his arms. It was also incredibly relaxing. If Michael had a more stressful day at work, or was simply having a bad anxiety day, hanging out with Tangerine for a bit often made them feel better. Calmer.

Gerry was happy to see it and after starting to hold her himself he understood. It felt relaxing, the way Tangerine moved, no matter if he was watching her or had her coil around his biceps as he worked. It just seemed strangely therapeutic.

Michael came to sit down next to him on the couch one of those evenings, set their mugs on the coffee table next to Gerry’s laptop, finally turned off after he finished work for the night. Tangerine seemed to have found her way under Gerry’s shirt collar and Michael had to chuckle at the slightly awkward angle Gerry was holding his head at to not disturb her.

Michael reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair behind Gerry’s ear. "I think she likes you better than me."

Gerry grinned at them. "Nothing personal. She probably likes the warmth.”

Michael cuddled closer with a sigh, buried his face in Gerry's free shoulder. "I think she's on to something."

Gerry chuckled, wrapped his free arm around Michael’s waist. They sat like that for a moment and Michael eventually felt the distinct flicker of Tangerine's tongue against his forehead. A chuckle escaped his lips at the familiar sensation. "Thank you for the kisses.

Gerry frowned for a moment, confused, then huffed out a laugh. "Thought you were talking to me for a moment."

Michael looked at his face with a lopsided smile. " _ You _ aren't giving me any right now, are you?"

Gerry grinned. "Is that a demand?"

"A polite suggestion." They gave a playful wink, and Gerry had to laugh.

"Come here." He shifted to press their lips together and Michael hummed, took Gerry’s face in his hands and kissed him back. They pulled apart again after a short moment, also due to Tangerine trying to crawl up Gerry’s face. He gently picked her up, snickered. "We should maybe put her back first."

Michael nodded, stroked her back with a smile. "Good night, sweetheart."

Gerry got up and put Tangerine back in her enclosure before sitting back down on the couch, taking his mug. Michael was holding his own, checking his phone.

"So, is that meeting up with your university friends thing still happening?"

Michael sighed. "Still waiting on one person’s answer, but we're trying in two weeks, probably."

Gerry chuckled, leaned against him. "Well, best of luck."

Michael’s friends did manage to finally get everyone together for Friday evening. It wasn't ideal, Michael would have liked to have time to go home and shower, psych himself up to see people he hadn’t seen in years again, rather than go to the restaurant they had decided on straight from work. 

There was also the fact of Gertrude having mentioned a work trip that morning, adding to Michael’s general anxiety. Apparently Gerry was to come, too, and she had talked to him already. Michael would have loved to ask what Gerry thought of it but Gerry had a busy day and was to meet up with his music friends in the evening. They'd have time to talk about it Saturday, Michael guessed. And it wasn't the first work trip for Michael, of course. They still made him strangely nervous. They weren’t too fond of the flying part already, and working with strangers always put them a little on edge. 

Having Gerry come along, even if he would technically be working on a different project, did soothe those worries a little. And the trip itself wasn't until next month so there was no reason to already freak out. Michael took a breath, tried to calm down.

They were the first one to arrive at the restaurant, despite worrying they might be late. Thankfully, they didn’t have to wait awkwardly by themself too long, as a familiar voice sounded only a few minutes after he had arrived, and Michael looked up with a smile.

The momentary awkwardness in the beginning quickly subsided as the rest arrived and they ordered their food. Michael had kept in somewhat loose contact with most of them, but soon it felt like no time had passed at all as they talked and laughed.

Michael came home late, or early, rather, but it was clear that Gerry wasn’t home yet. They shuffled into the kitchen with a yawn, got himself a glass of water before making his way to the bedroom.

He was fast asleep when Gerry arrived an hour or so later, only stirred vaguely to press themself into Gerry’s warm embrace before falling back to sleep. Gerry smiled, pressed a kiss to his forehead and closed his eyes.

*

Michael was up and showered, already preparing breakfast before he even heard the bedroom door opening in the morning. He smiled at the sound of familiar steps, followed shortly by the shower being turned on. Michael put on the kettle.

Gerry walked into the kitchen a moment later, moved to the dining table where his coffee was waiting and Michael was peeling a tangerine, Tangerine crawling along his shoulders. Gerry accompanied his mumbled ‘good morning’ with a kiss to Michael’s lips and then sat down next to him, grabbed his coffee and watched Michael’s long fingers gently remove the last bits of peel.

"In front of her?" Gerry joked and pet Tangerine gently.

"I mean...she sheds her skin regularly." Michael chuckled, held out half of the tangerine to Gerry.

"True." Gerry nodded and took the offered fruit, popped it into his mouth. 

Michael watched as his lips pulled into a satisfied smile at the taste, started eating their own half one segment at a time.

"How was your evening?"

"Fun. I really needed that. Just a night of...not working." Gerry sighed, grinned at him. "Yours?"

Michael smiled. "Lovely. It was nice to see them again."

"That's good to hear."

They sat in comfortable silence as Michael finished his tangerine and Gerry leaned back and enjoyed his coffee.

“Do you want another?” Michael nodded towards the tangerines on the table.

Gerry took a sip of his coffee. “I mean, if you want to peel another I wouldn’t complain.”

Michael was already reaching for one of them to peel, a smile on their lips.

They spent their weekend at home, which hadn’t been the original plan but it ended up pouring all Saturday and Sunday and the planned picnic with Fiona and Eric had to be postponed. They didn’t really mind. Gerry had been rather busy the last couple weekends and it was nice to simply spend some time lounging on the couch for most of the day, reading or watching Michael sew some new scrunchies. 

“Do you want to try it out?” Michael asked after a while of Gerry intently staring at his hands.

Gerry didn’t look up. “Hm?”

“If you want me to show you how to make them.” Michael chuckled. “If you just want to watch that’s fine, too.”

Gerry chuckled, a little flustered. “No, uh...why not? It looks...relaxing.”

Michael waved him closer and Gerry scooted over with a smile.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> flowers are picked, questions are asked and worktrips happen.

The following week passed relatively uneventfully, but the weather on the weekend held up and they decided to finally meet up for their picnic. They drove out of the city, the month was looking like a busy one workwise for both of them, even ignoring the work trip coming up soon, and both Fiona and Eric had agreed to it being better than finding a quiet spot in a park in early autumn.

Conversation flowed easy as usual and they set up their picnic in the shade of a tree. By the time they were close to finishing their sandwiches Michael was talking about past work trips he had been on. It had started with Gerry mentioning the upcoming one in passing, and by now they were all listening to Michael talking about previous ones.

“How come  _ you _ never go on any work trips?” Gerry asked Eric after silence settled as the laughter Michael’s last anecdote had evoked died down.

Eric leaned back, looked up at the clear sky with a grin. “I already spend enough time with Gertrude in the Institute, to be honest. Have been since way too long.”

Fiona chuckled. “She’s not  _ that _ bad.”

Michael nodded in agreement despite having just spent a fair amount of time complaining about work trips with her. Gerry and Eric had to laugh.

They decided to make the best of the nice weather and stay a bit longer after their picnic things were back in the car. A walk, or it started as a walk. Soon Gerry was running for some reason, and whatever he had said to Eric made it a race, and they both ran, laughing.

Michael watched them amused. “They’ll trip and fall if they keep this up…”

Fiona looked at him with a grin. “Do you still carry extra bandaids with you?”

Eric came to a stop, panting, and Michael couldn’t understand what Gerry was telling him from the distance, but he looked smug and beautiful as he stood right next to another field of tall sunflowers, and Michael nearly forgot to answer Fiona’s question as they looked at Gerry.

“Oh, uh…” He looked away, wrapped a curl around their finger as they admitted, “In the car.”

Fiona chuckled as they approached Eric and Gerry, who apparently had decided to wait for them. “Well, looks like they’re not necessary today.”

Michael returned her smile as they finally caught up with the other two. They were admiring the flowers when Fiona and Michael came to a stop next to them. Michael certainly couldn’t blame them. They were huge and bright yellow and he felt a smile tug at their lips at the sight.

“I wish we’d brought Tangerine.” Michael mumbled, gently brushing the petals of one of the smaller sunflowers closeby. “Would’ve made for nice photos…”

Gerry looked at them. “We could just take some home?”

Michael frowned. “I...are we allowed?”

Gerry raised an eyebrow, a mischievous grin playing on his lips. “I mean, there’s nobody around to tell us otherwise.”

There was a knife in his hand and before Michael could fully snap out of his bafflement at that, Gerry was already walking into the field. Michael shot Fiona and Eric a glance, but they looked amused, so Michael decided to relax. There was indeed nobody else around and a couple sunflowers would probably - hopefully - not be missed.

Gerry came back a moment later, three sunflowers in his arm and the knife back in his pocket. He flashed Michael a grin that somehow looked brighter with all the yellow all around him. Fiona and Eric had moved on already, their conversation faint with how far they had moved ahead, so Michael grabbed Gerry by the front of his shirt and pulled him into a kiss. The grin was still on Gerry’s lips as he kissed back, his free hand burying in Michael’s sun-warmed hair. Michael sighed into the kiss, wrapped their arms around Gerry loosely as to not damage the flowers.

“Are you two coming?”

Eric’s voice nearly made Michael jump and stumble back, but Gerry steadied them with a chuckle. He pressed a short kiss to Michael’s pink cheek before taking their hand and starting to walk to catch up with Eric and Fiona.

*

Gerry’s head was in Michael’s lap, both of them on the old couch in the Archive’s breakroom. It was a slow day and even Michael had started to run out of things to occupy himself with. Both Eric and Gertrude had gone to do some following up and Gerry had arrived a little later with a question for Gertrude. So now they were both waiting for her return.

They had made hot chocolate and their now empty mugs were in the sink and Michael was considering getting up to wash them. But they were comfortable, Gerry’s head warm in their lap, his hair soft as Michael ran idle fingers over it, through it. He didn’t feel like getting up. Gerry was tracing the veins on their other hand and it felt nice, calming. Michael gave up on getting up for now.

“Michael?”

Gerry didn’t speak loudly, but Michael still started a little at the sudden disruption of silence. They felt Gerry squeeze their hand in a silent apology as Michael met his eyes, questioning.

Gerry held his gaze for a moment, watched his face. It was so very familiar by now and still Gerry couldn’t get enough of it. It was prettier every time he looked, looked different depending on the light, but always beautiful, always the face Gerry loved, always Michael. There was joy in looking at it, and comfort, but there was still a nervous edge in Gerry’s voice when he spoke, “Marry me?”

They had talked about it before, so it wasn’t necessarily out of nowhere. Gerry had turned it over in his head since. They seemed to both be on the same page. It wasn’t a necessity, but neither were they opposed to the idea. Gerry had taken his time to consider, but in the end, he had come to the conclusion that he liked the idea. If Michael wanted to.

“What?” Michael sounded confused, shocked, even, hand coming to a stop in Gerry’s hair. 

They were trying to process the words. Gerry’s tone had been so casual, even if a little nervous, but still casual enough for Michael to be taken aback by the actual words.

Gerry was still holding their gaze, somehow, though a blush was spreading on his cheeks. “If you want to marry me?”

Michael stared at him, unsure what they were expecting, but expecting something. A laugh, maybe. Gerry didn’t look like he was joking and Michael’s heartbeat picked up at that realisation. “You’re  _ proposing _ to me?”

“Yes.”

“I...yes, Ger. I do,” they spluttered, feeling the heat rising to his cheeks, disbelief still clear on their face despite the genuine excitement in their eyes. “But I can’t believe you proposed  _ like this _ .”

Gerry finally sat up, feeling himself unfreeze at the answer, anxiety dissolving into something light and fluttering in his chest. He brushed a curl behind Michael’s ear with a grin. “You said those proposals that make a big deal out of it freak you out, so...I thought this would be better.” Gerry caressed their cheek with his thumb, grin softening into a smile. “I didn’t get any rings, either. I thought we could get them together if you said yes. And if you want them in the first place?”

Michael returned his smile and took his hand, squeezed it. “That sounds good,” he mumbled before pulling Gerry into a kiss.

*

Things became busy after that day and they didn’t get to figure out the rings before their work trip a week and a half later. It was fine, there was no rush. Michael was already stressed enough with the trip and its timing right in the middle of what was usually the busiest month at the Institute. Gerry had some things of his own to finish and some more to prepare for the trip. Gertrude was, as usual, not particularly helpful to either, busy with her own things.

The flight went fine, and Michael slept through most of it, head leaning against Gerry’s shoulder as Gerry held their hand. Gertrude had gotten over what he was supposed to do only a day before the flight and Gerry was still trying to figure out the most efficient way to go about his tasks. He was glad that Michael had at least found some rest after being so anxious at the airport.

Michael was a little disoriented after they landed, and clearly happy that it didn’t take too long for them to finally get out of the airport and into the taxi to the hotel. It had been a late flight and even Gertrude looked somewhat exhausted. They’d start their work tomorrow.

Gerry had to leave before sunrise and Michael only vaguely remembered kissing him goodbye when he had to get up themself an hour later. They were confused for a moment by the strange surroundings, the foreign smells. It didn’t last too long until the haze of sleep lifted and Michael remembered where they were, and that he should hurry up and get ready or Gertrude would be waiting.

A couple minutes later, Michael stumbled into the lobby, where Gertrude was, indeed, already waiting.

“I’m sorry, I-”

She waved his apologies away. “I just arrived. Let’s go.”

Michael nodded and followed her quick steps.

*

They all met up again for dinner, though Gertrude didn’t stay very long, so soon it was just Gerry and Michael in a restaurant that was on the fancier side for them. Not that they had ever really done the whole dinner date thing. An awkward silence settled over their table after Gertrude was gone, both unsure how to continue for a moment.

It only lasted a moment, Gerry joked about the decór and they both chuckled, and then realised there was no need to act any different than usual. So they fell back into pleasant conversation, told the other about how the day had gone and the things they had seen. By the time dinner was over and they made for the hotel again, they weren’t even talking about work anymore.

The day had been warm, but there was a chill in the air now and Michael shivered despite having been the one to suggest taking a little detour through the city to get to the hotel since he hadn’t gotten to see much of it due to being stuck inside a dusty archive all day.

“Should we hurry after all?” Gerry asked, squeezing their hand in his pocket. Somehow, it still felt a little cold.

Michael stubbornly shook his head. The city looked pretty at night and he wanted to enjoy it just a little longer. They walked around for a little while, always in the general direction of the hotel. Gerry asked for a kiss as they were watching the city lights playing on the surface of the river and Michael leaned in, closed the space between them and then lingered because Gerry’s lips were warm, despite being cracked from the wind as they tended to get whenever it got cooler. There was a faint taste of blood when Michael pulled away and they sighed.

“Gerry, your lip is bleeding.”

With a sigh, Gerry brought his fingers to his lips. “Isn’t it always?”

It did seem like it, sometimes. Michael shook his head, handed him a chapstick after a moment of rummaging for it in his pocket. “Here…”

Gerry sniffed it. “Hm...is that peach?”

Michael recognised that reaction by now and took the chapstick back. “You’re  _ not _ meant to eat it!”

Gerry looked up at him and laughed. “Then why does it smell so tasty.”

Michael couldn’t keep himself from chuckling, too. They sighed and put some chapstick on their own lips, before pocketing it again. Gerry raised an eyebrow as they put their fingers to his chin and tipped it back with a grin.

“We’ll do it this way, then.”

Gerry hummed agreement and Michael pressed their lips together again. They tasted sweet, and soon Michael was pulling away giggling from Gerry’s attempts to eat the chapstick from his lips. Gerry stuck out his tongue at them, brushed a curl another gust of cold wind blew into Michael’s face behind their ear. It made Michael shiver again, had him lean into the fleeting warmth of Gerry’s fingers with a sigh.

“Let’s get to the hotel.”

Michael nodded in agreement and took Gerry’s hand before starting to walk again.

Michael felt the exhaustion of the day settle inside him as soon as he threw himself on to their bed. There had been a lot of nervous introductions and moment of asking questions they wish they wouldn’t have to ask because he didn’t want to be a bother or seem incompetent. He hadn’t been able to figure out the sorting system earlier and after being unsuccessful in finding what he needed for about twenty minutes they had to psych themself up to ask one of the assistants working there. It had been horribly awkward and Michael didn’t want to think about it, but he was, now that the walk was over and they knew he’d have to go back to work in the morning. He sighed.

Michael looked up after he felt a weight shift on the mattress. Gerry had set down on the edge after getting out of his boots and seemed to be reading something. It was a bit awkward to see from Michael’s angle, but it looked like some sort of booklet.

“What’re you reading?”

“Picked up a tourist guide on my way to the restaurant earlier.”

“Tourist-- Gerry, this is a work trip.” Michael knit his brows.

Gerry shrugged, looked at Michael over his shoulder with a grin. “Why can’t it be both? There should be no issue in checking out some of the monuments and such if we get the work done we came for, too.”

Michael sat up, ran a hand through his hair as they considered. “I...guess? Still, I don’t think Gertrude-”

“You shouldn’t think Gertrude.” Gerry pulled them closer, pressed their noses together with a grin. “Rather think of this as some kind of Institute-paid honeymoon.”

Michael blinked, confused, then burst into chuckles, cheeks warming. It was still strange to think of them as fiances. The idea still made Michael’s heart flutter. “Gerry, I think the honeymoon comes  _ after _ the wedding.”

Gerry shrugged. “Why not one before and one after.”

Michael laughed, gently brushed a strand of hair behind Gerry’s ear. “Demanding.”

He grinned. “Come on, I’m not saying to neglect work. I’m sure we’ll have some time to have fun, take some pictures...I know you like that kind of stuff, too. We could go to that museum we passed earlier, it looked interesting…”

“Fine.” Michael sighed, letting themself fall back on to the bed. He yawned. “But first, sleep.” 

Gerry grinned. “Sounds good to me.”

*

There wasn’t a whole lot of time spent together with both of them doing different tasks. But Gerry decided to make the best of the bits they did get. They’d walk hand in hand when they happened to be heading the same way for once, and since that alone already seemed to sour Gertrude’s mood, Gerry went all out. Or well, as much as Michael was comfortable with. 

But some whispered compliments and stolen kisses were fine, welcome, and Gertrude was walking about ten steps ahead of them by now and Gerry wondered if he was imagining her muttered complaints. She never voiced them to them since both he and Michael were getting work done to her satisfaction and there had been nothing about them not being allowed to do with their time between work as they pleased, much as they did at home. 

They did go to that museum, though they were a little pressed for time when they did. Gerry had taken longer tracking down the address he had been given and the contact had been gone by the time he had arrived. It had taken nearly an hour and a couple phone calls to find her again. Michael had been waiting, restless, in front of the museum.

“Sorry,” Gerry mumbled when he finally arrived where they had decided to meet up.

Michael smiled at the sound of his voice. “Gerry!” He pulled him into a hug. “And I thought I was late…”

“Yeah, sorry.” Gerry pressed a kiss to their cheek. “Let’s go?”

Michael nodded.

They were assured the hour they had until closing time was enough for the modern art exhibit and set out to walk around after paying the entrance fee. They looked at the pieces, took pictures of them and each other, mused about how it all fit together as they moved from one to the other. There seemed to be nobody else around this late and they left close to an hour later, happy it had worked out so well. 

They grabbed food on their way back to the hotel but decided to leave more city exploration to the following day, both feeling rather eager for bed. They still had two days left before the flight back, and they had managed to go to a lot of the places from Gerry’s guide. At least from the ones that had looked interesting to them. Michael was, for once, quite enjoying his work trip and Gerry was happy to see him so content. Gerry was enjoying himself, too, but there was something special in seeing Michael smile so much after having him be so anxious about the trip before.

*

When Gerry came back to the bedroom from his shower Michael was already in bed, scrolling through his phone with a smile. Gerry joined him under the covers, pressed himself into Michael’s side. Michael gave him a smile, wrapped their arm around him and pulled him closer.

“Trying to decide what pictures from today to send Fiona…”

Gerry grinned. “I sent Eric that picture of us in front of that light tower thing in the museum and he said next time he’ll get us some matching couple shirts to make it perfect.”

Michael laughed at that and Gerry smiled, leaned his head on Michael’s shoulder with a content sigh. They looked through the pictures on Michael’s phone together and sent some of their favourites to Fiona, who immediately returned with pictures of Tangerine in her enclosure.

Michael sighed, “I miss her.”

“We’ll be back soon…” Gerry mumbled, struggling to keep his eyes open to even look at the pictures.

Michael hummed and pressed a kiss to his forehead before turning off the screen to lay down properly. Gerry kept his head on Michael’s shoulder and after their mumbled ‘good night’s it didn’t take long for both of them to fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the second to last one and I could have probably just made it One long one but I'm already haunted by the fact that Things Lost, Things Gained has an even number of chapters so I will not let that happen to this one, too.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can't believe I made it!!

The flight back home was a late one again, and the way Gertrude had booked it meant they would all have to get straight back to work the morning after their arrival. Gerry and Michael headed to bed after getting home from the airport immediately, leaving their luggage to be dealt with some other day. They were both exhausted.

*

By the time Michael woke up for work the next day, Gerry had already left. He had mentioned that he’d have to follow up on something early on the plane and Michael set out to get ready themself, faintly wondering how Gerry was holding up considering how tired Michael felt getting dressed. It wasn’t even the first time Gertrude had timed a work trip this way, but Michael could never get used to it. Airports and flying drained him and they always felt like they could sleep for a week straight after all of that. With a yawn, Michael left the apartment, lazily typing a response to Gerry’s ‘good morning’.

Despite hoping that at least it would be a slow day, Michael knew that wouldn’t be the case the moment he stepped into the archive. Eric was on the phone and Gertrude seemed to be talking to a stranger, someone that came in to give a statement from the looks of it, and the moment she spotted Michael, he knew the statement giver had just become his problem. The smile came easy, he'd been doing it for years, but Michael was tired and would have rather not deal with strangers today. They went to work without complaining.

It wasn't just one statement giver that day. There tended to be an influx of them the closer they got to Halloween and despite Eric taking over after being done with his follow ups Michael only had enough time to make himself tea before more people came in. 

Even when the statement givers ebbed towards lunch there wasn't much of a break. Eric got another call and Michael was sent to sort through a couple of boxes that had apparently arrived from Finland over the weekend, statements the Magnus Institute had sent to the sister institute in Helsinki over the years that had been returned due to a change in organisation or something. Michael only half-listened, craving the day to finally be over. Said boxes, that much they understood, had to be sorted through and refiled and Michael felt drained from all the social interaction from the morning and he wanted to sleep. He made it through half a box before he felt like his eyelids might fall close and shuffled to the break room to make themself a coffee as a last resort.

Gerry found them on the couch a little later, asleep. Eric had barely returned his greeting, clearly busy with whatever it was he was working on, and Gerry had decided to treat himself to another coffee. It had been a long day and it wasn't even close to being over. He felt exhausted, and hadn't it been for his habit of always glancing at the couch as he entered the room - he didn't really know when it started or why, it wasn't like it was usually occupied - Gerry would have probably not noticed Michael with how tired he felt himself. 

But he did, and the sight brought a smile to his lips. He quietly made his way to the couch, coffee forgotten, and gently sat down next to Michael. They didn’t stir and Gerry took off his coat and draped it over Michael’s shoulders like a makeshift blanket. It was difficult to tell whether he was cold or not, since Michael generally seemed to sleep all curled up, but they definitely looked more comfortable this way. Gerry smiled, and Michael slept.

When Michael’s eyes fluttered open, he was confused, for a moment, unsure where they were. Gerry was there, watching him with a soft smile Michael returned with a sleepy one. 

“Hey, sleeping beauty.” Gerry’s fingers brushed some stray strands of hair out of Michael’s face, thumb tenderly tracing their pale eyebrow. “Had a nice nap?”

Michael nodded with a stifled yawn before leaning into the touch, shuffling closer until they could lay their head on Gerry’s shoulder. Gerry chuckled softly and ran his fingers over Michael’s hair. Maybe it was Michael’s warmth or his soft breath against Gerry’s neck, maybe the calming motion of running his fingers over Michael’s hair, but soon the exhaustion caught up with Gerry, too, and they both dozed off.

Gertrude found them like that not much later. She sighed before moving to adjust the coat that had started to slip to the ground. Turning around to leave, she found Eric watching her, eyebrows raised and an amused grin on his lips. Gertrude rolled her eyes and made for the door, but she did notice Eric mouthing the word ‘soft’ at her as she passed.

“Get back to work,” was all she said before going back to her office.

*

The rest of the week was similarly busy for both Michael and Gerry, but after finally getting sleep on Monday night they managed their days fine. It was still draining, taking so many statements and spending the rest of their day filing, mostly, since those boxes seemed to have no end and Eric was busy with follow-ups and couldn’t help, but at least Michael didn’t fall asleep again. He had apologised profusely for Monday and was determined to make up for it, no matter how many times Eric told him it was fine and how unaffected Gertrude seemed by the incident. Thinking of it still made Michael’s face burn in embarrassment and they threw themself into work to avoid it.

Gerry was busy with his own project, the leads now finally all together so that the actual acquiring of the book he had been trying to hunt down for over a month could commence. Well, more or less. He hadn’t really gotten a definitive answer as to its final location, so there would be a bit of trial and error in his week’s work. But Gerry didn’t mind. He was looking forward to the weekend, where they could finally decompress from not only the week, but also the trip that preceded it. They also wanted to look into rings, and Gerry would probably not admit it, but he was excited about that. It was a good motivation to make it through the week as quickly as he could.

By Friday Michael had finally finished sorting through the boxes, and since Eric volunteered to take the couple of statements that came in that day, Michael finally could focus on their own follow-ups again. It felt good to be back behind their desk doing research rather than mindlessly filing or talking to strangers. 

There was a smile on their lips when Gerry arrived in the late afternoon, hair windswept and eyes alight with what Michael had come to think of as his post-hunt energy. When Gerry finally had the book or artefact he’d been working for so long to get his fingers on, but had clearly not fully calmed down from the thrill of getting it, or was maybe simply excited about the act of destroying it.

He ran his fingers through his hair, only messing it up even further, and gave Michael a brilliant, heart-stopping grin. “Joining me?”

Michael nodded, stunned as always, and Gerry’s grin only widened as he offered them his hand. Michael took it, clearly flustered, and Gerry pulled them along to the usual burning spot. Gerry handed them the lighter and soon the book was burning to ashes in front of them and they both relaxed. Michael’s thumb was drawing circles on the back of Gerry’s hand and Gerry was leaning into him just a little.

“Can’t wait for the weekend…” Gerry mumbled with a yawn, all excitement left to be replaced by the exhaustion of a busy week.

Michael nodded in agreement, sighed. “I should be done in an hour, maybe two.” He squeezed Gerry’s hand gently. “Do you want to stay? Or should we meet at home?”

“No, I’ll stay. Maybe I can help?”

Michael smiled. “You could make me one of those hot chocolates…”

Gerry chuckled. “Sure thing.”

“Thank you.”

*

Gerry had been watching the sun paint streaks of light on the wall, the ceiling, for what felt like hours. Maybe it had been. He had woken early, as usual, but had thankfully remembered he had a free weekend before he had scrambled out of bed. But falling asleep again was a rarity for Gerry, so he simply lay there in the dark room, listening to Michael’s calm breathing next to him, watched dawn slowly lighten up the room.

Michael tended to shift and move a lot in sleep. Gerry was used to it by now, held still and watched with a smile as Michael’s face appeared and disappeared amidst curls and pillow, occasionally the sheets. Eventually, their hand landed on Gerry’s chest and Gerry covered it with his own, absent-mindedly traced the veins on the back of it, pathways Gerry knew by heart now, skin soft under his fingers. Michael pressed their cheek against his shoulder with a small sigh, but didn’t wake. Gerry smiled, and went back to watching the light on the ceiling. 

Even after Michael woke, they didn’t move. They lay in silence, basking in the late morning light coming in through the cracks in the blinds, each other's presence. After a little while of blissful silence, Michael pressed their lips to Gerry’s neck with a sighed ‘good morning’.

Gerry smiled, ran a hand over his hair. “Morning.” He squeezed Michael’s hand. “Slept well?”

Michael nodded, gave him a sleepy smile. “You?”

“Not long enough. But well, yes.”

Michael sighed and cupped his cheek and pulled him down for a lingering kiss. Gerry melted into it, let go of Michael’s hand in favour of wrapping his arms around them, pressed their bodies together, sun-warmed and familiar. 

They didn't pull apart as much as they got too lazy to continue and soon they were laying in silence again. Michael was running his fingers through Gerry’s hair, wrapping some strands around his fingers languidly. Gerry’s eyes fluttered close, a blissful smile on his lips. 

He hummed, "We should probably get up…"

Michael sighed. "Probably…"

Nearly another hour passed before either of them moved to get up and walk to the kitchen. Michael went straight for Tangerine's enclosure to refill her water. She seemed to be hidden so Michael decided to not bother her and follow Gerry to the kitchen.

They made breakfast together, and slowly, as they started feeling more awake, chatted, too. They hadn't had much time to do much of that during the week, both usually heading straight to bed as soon as they were home from work and Gerry hadn't stopped at the Institute much because he was busy elsewhere. So there was quite a bit of catching up to do.

*

They had a couple of errands to run, but Michael insisted on cleaning up the apartment first since it had been neglected during the week. Gerry had, for a fact, still not unpacked his suitcase from the trip fully. So they set out to tidy first and decided to go about their errands after lunch.

The sun was out, but the air was cool and Michael navigated them to walk in the sun as much as possible. It wasn’t like they were pressed for time, so Gerry enjoyed their little walk, more so when Michael would tip his head back towards the sun and a small smile would grace their lips. Gerry squeezed their hand and Michael directed his smile at him, and Gerry felt warm.

*

By the time they made their way home the sun had already started its descent on the horizon and the temperature had dropped significantly. Michael went straight to starting the kettle once they were inside their apartment and even Gerry shivered at the temperature difference. But there was a smile on both of their faces, and matching rings on their fingers.

Gerry carried the groceries they had gotten into the kitchen and they put those away as the water boiled. Michael prepared some snacks and took them to the couch. Gerry followed with their mugs little later and sat down next to him, looked up to see Michael had gotten Tangerine out of her enclosure, who was happily wrapping around their arm. 

Gerry pet her with a smile, eyes focussing on the new ring simply because it was shinier than all his others and even the dull light in the living room somehow managed to catch in it. It was still strange to see it there, to know Michael was wearing a matching one, considering all. Gerry traced it with his finger thoughtfully.

“You keep doing that,” Michael pointed out, curious, maybe a little concerned. 

Gerry had been strangely quiet since they had gotten them, had been pensively fidgeting with it. Which Michael had been doing, too, but they felt like something was on Gerry’s mind.

Gerry knit his brows for a moment, then looked back at Michael’s face. "Do you wonder about how life would have gone had you not been adopted by someone working in the archive?"

Michael was surprised by the question, but took a moment to consider it. He felt like that question used to plague them a lot more than it had in recent time. They had made peace with it. It didn’t mean that, occasionally, the thought would popp into Michael’s mind. "I...sometimes. Sometimes I wonder what things would look like. I...it never really occurred to me to work somewhere else, you know? It just seemed...natural."

"Yeah, I can kind of see what you mean," Gerry admitted, frowning. He didn’t  _ like _ that he understood. It was a sense of inevitability Gerry had fought all his life. He still did. He looked back at his hands with a sigh, spun the ring a little as he mumbled, "I still hate it sometimes. That I never managed to just...shake the first couple years of my life off and move on." The smile on his lips was wry. "Some days walking into that building feels like an admission of defeat."

Michael gently moved Tangerine to his other hand while considering Gerry’s words. Gerry made no secret of hating the Institute. Or rather, of hating the fact that it felt like he had never had any choice about ending up there, stuck on the Knowing side of life. It wasn’t a completely foreign sentiment to Michael. 

"I...sometimes...well, I don't think I  _ hate _ it.” They smiled as Tangerine tried to crawl into his sleeve. “But sometimes I wonder if I would like somewhere else better."

Gerry released a deep sigh, let himself fall back onto the couch. He let his eyes skim the room lazily, took in what he had been calling home for so long it was a strange thought to even remember a time when that hadn’t been the case.

He was happy. He was, despite resenting the path he had never managed to escape. It was, after all, the path that made them meet. It should be a pro, really, but part of Gerry was bitter about both of them being stuck with the archive's work. 

He sighed. There was no point in dwelling on it. He should focus on the positives which was that somehow continuously returning to the archive now had him sitting next to Michael in their living room. This was good, it was perfect. Gerry liked to tell himself he would change something in his past, something that would enable him to forget Mary and her books and be free. But Michael’s hand in his was warm when he took it, a pleasant weight and Gerry knew, deep down, that he wouldn't dare to change anything that might make the now natural feeling of taking Michael’s hand into his something he'd never experience. 

Gerry sighed again, squeezed Michael’s hand softly. "In the end, I guess...well, I guess I kind of have to thank it. I'm glad I met you."

Michael chuckled, flustered by the words and the heat rising to his face at the sudden change of tone. "That's...how I try to think when I start wondering about those things…" Their smile was a little bashful, but they squeezed Gerry’s hand firmly so he could feel the cool metal of the ring against his skin. "I think, overall…it was worth it."

Gerry nodded, pressed a kiss to Michael’s cheek that turned into a kiss to Michael’s lips once Michael turned his head to meet Gerry’s lips with their own. 

"I still can't believe you proposed to me in the archive, though," Michael mumbled into the kiss before pulling back laughing at the memory. It only seemed more unreal in retrospect. 

Tangerine was trying to reach Gerry’s shoulder and Gerry picked her up, settled her comfortably in his hands, brushed a finger over her back. She flicked her tongue against his wrist and set out exploring as always.

Gerry looked back at Michael and grinned, teasing. "Was it not the perfect place? It's where we kept running into each other...you didn't want anything fancy…" Gerry shrugged, voice taking on a more genuine tone, "It seemed fitting."

Michael sighed, but the smile on his lips was a fond one. "Alright, I agree." They brushed a strand of hair behind Gerry’s ear, chuckled. “Let’s not get married there, though. Please.”

Gerry burst out laughing. “Absolutely not.”

Michael couldn't help laughing too, traced Tangerine's back as she disappeared into Gerry’s shirt sleeve. "We need to find a way to involve her, too…"

Gerry nodded with a grin. "The wedding is already starting to come together: no archive, a snake…"

Michael chuckled. "Sounds good so far."

Gerry leaned his head against Michael’s chest with a happy sigh, took Michael’s hand in his and traced the ring on his finger. "It does."

Michael hummed in agreement and threaded their fingers together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, all those people on the edge of their seats, worrying I'll hurt them can relax. That's for other wips. Wips I can now FINALLY dedicate my time to now that this one's done. Very exciting!


End file.
